MEBRMELL'S 
POWER 


BURT • L 
STAN  DISH 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

IN  MEMORY  OF 
EDWIN  CORLE 

PRESENTED  BY 
JEAN  CORLE 


\ 


Tarlx)3c  coming  on  with  speed  like  a  steam  engine,  won  out  handsomely. 

(Page  213) 


FRANK  MERRIWELL'S 

POWER 

« 

A  STORY  FOR  BOYS 


BY 


BURT  L.  STANDISH 

AUTHOR  OF 

"The  Merriwell  Stories" 


PHILADELPHIA 

DAVID   McKAY,   PUBLISHER 

604-8  SOUTH  WASHINGTON  SQUARE 


Copyright,  1900 
By  STREET  &  SMITH 


Frank  Merriwell's  Power 


AD  rights  reserved,  including  that  of  translation  into  foreign  languages, 
including  the  Scandinavian. 


FRANK  MERRIWELL'S  POWER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   DANGEROUS   SCHEMER. 

Dade  Morgan  sat  alone  in  his  room.  The  moon 
rode  high  over  the  trees  of  the  campus  and  the  green, 
and  the  soft  night  wind,  odorous  of  the  sea,  brought 
to  his  ears  sounds  of  singing  and  laughter. 

Seniors,  juniors,  and  sophomores  were  making 
merry  about  the  famous  college  fence. 

Some  juniors  strolling  along  the  pavement  beneath 
his  window  sent  up  this  snatch  of  song: 

"Wrap  me  up  in  my  tarpaulin  jacket 
And  say,  'A  poor  duffer  lies  low !' " 

From  a  sentimental  trio  at  the  fence  floated  the 
words  of  another  song  much  sung  by  Yale  men: 

"Nut-brown  maiden,  thou  hast  a  bright  blue  eye  for  love! 
Nut-brown  maiden,  thou  hast  a  bright  blue  eye ! 

A  bright  blue  eye  is  thine,  love; 

The  glance  in  it  is  mine,  love; 
Nut-brown  maiden,  thou  hast  a  bright  blue  eye." 

"Light  heads!"  Dade  muttered.  "But  light  heads 
are  easily  handled." 

Drawing  back  from  the  window  and  lowering  the 


6  A  Dangerous  Schemer. 

blinds,  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  letter  which  he  had 
received  by  mail  that  afternoon  and  began  to  reread 
it  by  the  light  of  his  student-lamp. 

He  had  no  roommate  and  wanted  none,  for  room- 
mates expect  confidences  and  he  had  none  to  give. 
The  letter  spoke  of  possible  "tools,"  and  gave  a  list 
of  names  of  college  men. 

"Bertrand  Defarge,  Donald  Pike,  Roland  Pack- 
ard," Dade  read,  as  he  ran  his  eyes  down  the  written 
page.  "Packard?  Oh,  yes,  that's  the  medical  stu- 
dent I  heard  talking  against  Merriwell  yesterday. 
He  doesn't  like  the  Yale  king  a  little  bit.  I  wonder 
how  I'll  go  to  work  to  handle  him.  I  must  find  out 
his  pet  weakness." 

There  were  other  names  in  the  list,  and  he  read 
on: 

"There's  not  much  stuff  in  the  Chickering  set,  out- 
side of  one  or  two  fellows,  perhaps,  but  they  hate 
Merriwell,  and  it  will  stand  you  in  hand  to  coddle 
them." 

Dade  Morgan  smiled  when  he  read  this.  He  had 
met  the  Chickering  set. 

"I  can  work  them  on  Dashleigh.  As  good  luck 
would  have  it,  I'm  .already  acquainted  with  them, 
even  though  they  are  high  and  lordly  juniors.  All 
they  need  is  a  little  patting  on  the  back  to  make  them 
swell  up  like  the  ox  in  the  fable.  They're  just  dying 
for  popularity,  and  they  get  precious  little  of  it." 


A  Dangerous  Schemer.  7 

"Gil  Cowles ,  Mat  Mullen,  Lib  Benson,  Newt 
Billing's,  Chan  Webb,"  he  read  on.  "These  were 
once  open  enemies  of  Merriwell,  but  he  has  squelched 
them.  They  pretend  to  be  his  friends,  but  they  hate 
him  like  sin.  Maybe  you  can  use  some  of  them." 

"If  only  Morton  Agnew  were  here,"  was  Dade's 
thought.  "He  has  some  iron  in  his  blood,  and 
wouldn't  stick  at  anything.  But  these  fellows?  Bah! 
I've  already  sounded  some  of  them,  and,  though  they 
are  willing  enough  to  have  Merriwell  done  up,  they 
haven't  any  sand.  I'll  have  to  do  all  the  difficult 
things  alone." 

The  name  of  a  detective  appeared  in  the  body  of 
the  letter,  and  Dade  looked  at  it  curiously.  Then  he 
glanced  at  the  signature,  and  read  this  in  connection 
with  it: 

"For  the  sake  of  safety,  I  shall  hereafter  sign  my- 
self, HECTOR  KING/' 

When  he  was  sure  he  had  mastered  the  letter  in 
all  its  details,  he  kindled  a  little  fire  in  his  grate  and 
committed  the  writing  to  the  flames. 

He  sat  with  half-lowered  lids  as  he  watched  the 
letter  curl  and  crisp  and  burn  to  ashes.  The  lowered 
lids  and  the  sinister  smile  gave  to  his  handsome  face 
a  distorted  look. 

"I  don't  know  but  I've  been  too  reckless  in  my 
stabs  at  Merriwell,"  he  ruminated,  putting  his  hands 


8  A  Dangerous  Schemer 

above  his  head  and  stretching  out  his  feet  as  he  stared 
into  the  fire.  "I  must  use  caution.  The  advice  in 
that  letter  is  good.  If  I  use  these  tools,  I  must  not 
let  them  know  that  they  are  tools.  I  must  stir  tr 
their  hate  against  Merrivvell  and  then  take  care  to 
direct  that  hate.  I'll  play  the  fine  Italian  hand." 

His  eyes  glittered  as  he  continued  these  musings. 

"Oh,  how  I  hate  that  fellow!"  he  hissed,  as  if 
speaking  to  the  log  that  lay  sputtering  before  him 
sending  up  a  cloud  of  smoke  and  steam.  "I'll  wring 
his  heart  before  I'm  through  here.  Yale  is  a  great 
institution!  Oh,  yes!  I  don't  doubt  that  a  bit,  and 
I'll  have  to  study  to  keep  up,  so  that  I  won't  flunk 
in  the  exams.  But  the  study  is  just  to  enable  me  to 
stay  here  where  I  can  strike  at  Merriwell.  These 
other  fellows  that  have  locked  horns  with  him  haven't 
had  the  money  to  back  them  that  I  have,  nor  have 
they  had  the  brains,  nor  have  they  hated  him  as  I  do. 
He's  the  king  of  Yale  now,  but  wait  a  while!  Just 
wait  a  while!" 

He  was  thinking  of  the  writer  of  the  letter,  and 
seemed  to  be  growling  these  declarations  and  promises 
to  him. 

The  burning  stick  broke  in  two  and  fell  apart  with 
a  volley  of  sparks.  Morgan  straightened  in  his  chair 
and  lowered  his  hands. 

"But  I'll  never  do  anything,  if  I  allow  myself  to 
get  excited  in  this  way!" 


A  Dangerous  Schemer.  9 

The  sinister  smile  passed.  He  arose  and  stood  be- 
fore the  mirror,  drawing  his  handsome  form  up  to  its 
full  height  and  looking  into  his  dark  and  strangely 
attractive  face. 

"Such  frowns  will  spoil  these  good  looks!  In  a 
fight  like  this,  good  looks  and  a  seemingly  amiable  dis- 
position are  in  the  list  of  winning  cards.  'A  man  may 
smile  and  smile  and  be  a  villain!'  but  if  he  wants  to 
smile  effectively  in  public  he  must  continue  to  smile 
in  private,  no  matter  what  he  feels  or  thinks." 

There  was  a  laughing  light  now  in  the  dark  eyes 
and  a  winning  smile  on  the  lips.  He  felt  his  arms. 

"And  biceps  are  not  to  be  despised !  I've  got  to  go 
in  for  athletics  more  than  I've  been  doing  lately,  for 
the  time  is  coming  when  I  shall  want  to  try  conclu- 
sions with  that  big  freshman,  Dick  Starbright." 

He  still  smiled  at  himself  in  the  glass,  though  he 
seemed  to  feel  the  rough  grip  of  Starbright  on  his 
collar. 

Bade  Morgan  was  no  mean  athlete,  and  he  had 
already  taken  elaborate  lessons  in  the  "manly  art  of 
self-defense,"  but  he  felt  that  he  would  need  every 
atom  of  ability  and  strength  possible  for  him  to  pos- 
sess in  the  struggle  he  saw  coming  between  himself 
and  Frank  Merriwell. 

He  sat  down  again  and  continued  to  think  and  to 
plan. 

"One  of  the  first  things  to  do  is  to  get  Bert  Dasfc- 


io  A  Dangerous  Schemer. 

leigh  in  the  power  of  the  Chickering  set.    That  ought 
to  be  dead  easy." 

He  recalled  these  words  from  the  burned  letter : 

"Dick  Starbright's  one  weakness,  according  to  the 
detective  who  has  been  looking  up  his  antecedents,  is 
an  inherited  love  of  drink." 

"One  wouldn't  think  it,  to  look  at  him.  Of  course, 
he  has  come  here  with  a  firm  determination  to  keep 
away  from  everything  of  the  kind.  But  I'll  see  to  it 
that  he  doesn't.  With  the  temptations  round  a  fellow 
here,  that  ought  to  be  easy,  too !' 

Then  he  sat  thinking  of  Merriwell. 

"I'll  have  to  oppose  him  in  every  way.  Every 
popular  man  has  a  host  of  enemies.  Scores  are  jealous 
of  him  simply  because  he  is  popular.  There  seems  to 
be  a  defect  in  human  nature  that  makes  it  want  to 
pull  down  every  man  who  rises  above  the  dead  level. 
I'll  use  this  feeling,  and  I'll  use  it  for  all  it's  worth. 
I'll  become  his  rival  and  rally  round  me  all  the  op- 
position." 

There  was  no  doubt  in  the  schemer's  head  that  he 
was  equal  to  all  this.  He  felt  himself  to  be  a  born 
leader.  In  the  school  from  which  he  had  come  he  had 
contrived  to  put  himself  in  the  forefront  of  about 
everything.  He  had  not  only  been  a  leader  in  sports 
and  athletics,  but  in  matters  literary  as  well. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  Dade  Morgan  was  the 


A  Dangerous  Schemer.  n 

most  dangerous  enemy  who  had  yet  risen  in  Merri- 
well's  path.  He  was  especially  gifted,  a  natural 
leader,  an  athlete  and  fighter  of  no  mean  skill,  a  fine 
football-player,  and  he  hated  Merriwell  more  fiercely 
than  any  enemy  who  had  ever  opposed  him,  though 
apparently  for  no  reason  whatever. 

For  a  long  time  Dade  sat  there,  outlining  his  cun- 
ning plans  and  mentally  preparing  himself  for  his 
fight  to  down  Frank  Merriwell.  The  sounds  at  the 
fence  and  in  the  campus  died  away.  Still  he  sat  there, 
with  drawn  blinds  and  low-burning  lamp. 

"I  can  do  it!"  he  smiled,  as  he  aroused  himself  at 
last  and  prepared  for  bed. 

The  next  evening  Bert  Dashleigh  bounded  into  the 
apartments  which  he  occupied  with  Dick  Starbright 
in  Farnam. 

"Just  look  at  that !"  he  said,  slapping  a  neatly  writ- 
ten note  down  on  the  table  where  Starbright  was  en- 
gaged in  study. 

"That's  great,  coming  from  juniors  to  a  freshman !" 

Dick  looked  into  his  friend's  smiling  and  exultant 
face. 

"Better  sit  down  and  fan  yourself  a  bit.  You're 
wildly  excited." 

"Look  at  the  letter!" 

Dick  looked  at  it  and  found  it  to  be  an  invitation 
to  a  little  "dinner"  to  be  given  that  evening  by  the 


12  A  Dangerous  Schemer. 

dickering  set.  It  was  written  in  a  fine  hand  on  de- 
licately scented  paper  and  requested  the  "honor"  of 
M.  Bert  Dashleigh's  presence. 

Starbright's  face  darkened. 

"I  suppose  it's  all  right,  of  course,  even  if  a  little 
unusual.  But  I  shouldn't  accept  it,  if  I  were  you." 

"Oh,  bother!  Why  wouldn't  you  accept  it?  I 
know,  though!" 

"Well,  they  haven't  been  exactly  nice  to  us  since 
we've  been  here.  You  know  that,  as  well  as  I  do." 

"But  if  they  haven't  treated  me  right  in  the  past, 
that  note  shows  that  they're  going  to  begin  it  now. 
Old  boy,  I'll  speak  a  good  word  for  you.  Those  fel- 
lows are  rich  and  they're  juniors.  That  makes  it 
worth  our  while  to  know  them,  if  we  can." 

He  took  up  his  guitar  and  began  to  thump  it  as  if 
to  cut  off  all  objections. 

"Oh,    Solomon    Levi !     Tra-la-la,    la-la-la,    la !" 

Dick  Starbright  turned  back  to  his  book  and  his 
study. 

"Oh,  saw  off  on  that!"  he  impatiently  exclaimed, 
looking  up  from  the  table  after  Bert  had  sung  a  verse 
or  two. 

"Well,  I  don't  want  you  to  study  just  now.  I  want 
to  talk  to  you.  I  want  your  opinion  about  that  invita- 
tion." 

"You're  going  to  accept  it?" 


A  Dangerous  Schemer.  13 

"Yes ;  I'm  thinking  that  I  will.  But  you  don't  seem 
to  like  it." 

Dick  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  stuck  his  thumbs 
in  the  armholes  of  his  vest. 

"My  opinion  is  like  that  of  Lincoln,  when  asked 
to  recommend  a  certain  book:  'For  people  who  like 
that  kind  of  a  thing,  it  is  just  the  kind  of  a  thing  they 
will  like!'  For  people  who  fancy  fellows  like  the 
Chickering  set,  the  Chickering  set  are  just  the  kind  of 
fellows  they  will  fancy.  For  myself,  I  don't  fancy 
them,  and  if  I  should  receive  such  an  invitation  I'd 
ignore  it." 

"That's  because  you  don't  know  them.  I  thought 
I  hated  them,  until  I  met  Rupert  Chickering  himself 
this  morning.  Of  course,  he's  something  of  a  cad 
in  his  dress.  I'll  admit  that.  But  he  was  the  most 
genial  fellow  I've  met  since  coming  to  Yale.  I  fancy 
I  impressed  him  a  little  with  a  sense  of  my  own  im- 
portance, and  the  result  is  this  invitation." 

"Oh,  I  knew  you  would  go!" 

"Yes,  I'm  going.  Such  a  chance  doesn't  come 
every  day  in  the  week,  and  I  can't  afford  to  throw  it 
away." 

Dade  Morgan  would  have  laughed  could  he  have 
heard  that  speech,  and  he  would  have  laughed  more 
loudly  if  he  could  have  seen  Bert  Dashleigh  begin  to 
dig  out  his  collars  and  ties  and  lay  out  his  best  apparel. 

An  hour  or  so  later  Dashleigh  was  admitted  to  the 


14  A  Dangerous  Schemer. 

perfumed  atmosphere  of  Rupert  Chickering's  aris- 
tocratic apartments,  and  was  warmly  greeted  by 
Chickering  himself. 

Julian  Ives  was  there  with  his  darling  bang,  and 
Gene  Skelding  with  his  gorgeous  necktie.  Ollie  Lord 
lifted  himself  on  his  high-heeled  shoes  to  welcome  the 
newcomer,  and  Tilton  Hull  smiled  over  his  high 
choker  collar. 

"We've  been  waiting  for  you,"  said  Rupert,  in  a 
manner  that  made  Dashleigh  feel  that  he  was  the  only 
man  at  Yale  worthy  of  such  consideration. 

And  he  saw  that  he  was  the  only  guest.  Then  he 
thought  that  perhaps  the  other  guests  had  not  ar- 
rived. 

"Just  one  of  the  little  feeds  we  have  up  here  now 
and  then,"  Chickering  explained.  "We  thought  we'd 
like  to  have  you  with  us." 

"I've  been  admiwing  you,  don't  you  know,  ever 
thinthe  the  night  of  the  Torch  Light  Wush!"  Lew 
Veazie  simpered,  holding  out  his  hand  like  the  fin  of 
a  fish. 

Bert  Dashleigh  was  not  particularly  pleased  with 
this  reference,  for  on  the  night  of  the  Rush  he  had 
been  badly  handled  in  the  wrestling-match  with  Jack 
Ready,  and  was  still  sore  on  the  subject.  However, 
he  showed  nothing  of  this. 

The  tables  were  already  laid  in  an  adjoining  room, 
and  the  dinner  was  ready  and  waiting. 


A  Dangerous  Schemer.  15 

Bert  Dashleigh  was  a  well-meaning  fellow  and  hon- 
est, but  he  was  somewhat  rattle-brained  and  frivolous, 
and  he  liked  attention  and  flattery.  He  had  not  re- 
ceived much  of  either  at  Yale  so  far,  and  the  open 
compliments  and  honeyed  words  of  these  juniors  were 
doubly  pleasant  to  him  on  this  account.  It  did  not 
occur  to  him  that  they  might  have  a  sinister  purpose 
in  thus  admitting  him  to  the  charmed  circle  of  their 
friendship,  and  he  had  not  been  at  Yale  long  enough 
to  know  the  exact  estimation  in  which  they  were  held. 

The  handsomely  furnished  apartments,  the  glitter- 
ing silver  and  glass  on  the  tables,  the  immaculate  dress 
of  his  hosts,  and  the  elaborate  dinner  caught  his  fancy 
and  intoxicated  his  imagination.  He  could  no  longer 
doubt  that  the  Chickering  set,  in  spite  of  all  that  might 
be  said  against  them,  were  worthy  of  cultivation,  and 
the  belief  came  to  him  that  the  fellows  who  spoke  so 
severely  against  them  were  moved  to  it  through  jeal- 
ousy and  envy. 

Dashleigh  did  not  care  for  wine,  though  he  had  no 
scruples  against  its  use;  but  it  was  so  persistently 
pressed  on  him,  and  he  had  such  a  fear  of  not  doing 
just  the  thing  he  ought  to  do  on  this  occasion,  that  he 
permitted  his  glass  to  be  filled  again  and  again,  until 
his  head  took  to  itself  a  queer  feeling,  and  the  objects 
in  the  room  began  at  times  to  assume  a  strangely 
wabbly  aspect. 

By  and  by  the  talk  turned  to  college  athletics  and 


1 6  A  Dangerous  Schemer. 

college  men.  Whenever  the  talk  at  Yale  turned  to 
these  subjects,  no  matter  who  the  speakers  were, 
Frank  Merriwell's  name  was  invariably  mentioned. 
Dashleigh  mentioned  it  now,  speaking  rather  favor- 
ably of  Frank. 

"I  must  say  that  I  don't  like  Jack  Ready,"  he  con- 
fessed, for  the  wine  he  had  taken  made  him  incautious 
in  his  statements  and  caused  him  to  give  free  expres- 
sion to  his  feelings. 

He  had  not  liked  Ready  since  the  time  Ready  won 
from  him  in  the  wrestling-match.  That  had  humili- 
ated him  and  embittered  him  against  the  apple-cheeked 
sophomore  more  than  anything  else  could  have  done. 

"Merriwell  isn't  like  Ready,  though,"  he  went  on. 
"Ready  is  a  hare-brained  sort  of  fellow,  I  take  it,  who 
is  simply  stuck  on  himself." 

"And  Merriwell  is  in  the  same  boat!"  Gene  Skeld- 
ing  declared,  with  a  show  of  feeling  that  surprised 
Dashleigh. 

But  Chickering  came  purringly  to  the  rescue  of 
Merriwell's  reputation.  Chickering  always  pretended 
great  fairness,  though  he  did  not  feel  it. 

"Never  speak  ill  of  a  person  behind  his  back,  espe- 
cially if  he  is  a  Yale  man!"  he  urged. 

"Well,  I  don't  want  our  friend  Dashleigh  to  make 
the  great  mistake,  at  the  outset  of  his  career  here,  of 
becoming  a  worshiper  of  Frank  Merriwell,"  said 
Skelding.  "You'll  want  to  keep  away  from  him  when 


A  Dangerous  Schemer.  17 

you  know  him,  Dashleigh.  That's  straight.  He  has 
a  lot  of  fellows  trailing  round  at  his  heels  all  the  time, 
singing  his  praises,  but  there  is  really  nothing  in  the 
fellow — not  a  thing." 

"We  may  as  well  admit  that  he's  done  some  re- 
markable things,"  said  Chickering.  "I  don't  particu- 
larly like  him,  as  you  know.  No  one  does  who  is  not 
of  his  stripe.  But  I  want  to  be  fair  to  everybody.  Of 
course,  he  was  helped  by  an  uncommon  run  of  luck  in 
that  tour  he  took  this  summer  with  his  so-called  Yale 
Athletic  Team." 

"Yale  team!"  sniffed  Ollie  Lord. 

"What  right  had  he  to  call  it  a  Yale  team  ?"  asked 
Julian  Ives,  squaring  his  shoulders  to  give  himself  a 
manly  look. 

"That'th  what  I  thould  like  to  know  mythelf?" 
lisped  Lew  Veazie,  taking  a  delicate  sip  of  wine,  for 
too  great  a  quantity  always  turned  his  little  head. 

"He  had  no  right  to  call  it  anything  of  the  kind, 
I'll  admit  that!"  was  Chickering's  answer.  "They 
didn't  represent  Yale,  but " 

"It  was  simply  an  exhibition  of  unbounded  gall!" 
growled  Skelding. 

Dashleigh  was  beginning  to  feel  that  perhaps  he 
had  been  wrong  in  rating  Merriwell  as  a  hero.  These 
were  Yale  men  who  had  known  Frank  for  a  long  time. 
Consequently  their  words  were  entitled  to  weight. 
He  was  sorry  that  Dick  Starbright  could  not  be  there 


1 8  A  Dangerous  Schemer. 

to  hear  this,  for  Starbright  had  become  a  Merriwell 
worshiper. 

After  dinner  the  party  adjourned  to  the  room  which 
Dashleigh  had  first  entered,  where  there  was  more 
talk  about  Merriwell,  and  the  fact  was  developed  that 
Frank  was  using  all  his  exertions  to  become  the  cap- 
tain of  the  football-team. 

"You  see,  it's  this  way,"  Skelding  explained. 
"Mark  Alcott  was  chosen  football  captain,  but  his 
father  has  since  failed  in  business,  and  Mark  couldn't 
come  back  to  Yale  this  year.  That  makes  it  neces- 
sary to  choose  a  new  captain,  and  Merriwell's  friends 
have  begun  to  pull  strings  for  him  to  get  him  the 
place.  He'll  get  it,  too,  unless  a  big  fight  is  put  up 
against  him." 

"He'th  got  evewbody  nearly  on  hith  thide!"  Lew 
Veazie  dolefully  lisped. 

"Yes,  I  fully  expect  to  see  the  president  of  Yale 
college  polishing  his  shoes  before  the  month  is  out!" 
snapped  Skelding. 

"His  own  shoes  or  Merriwell's?"  asked  Chicker- 
ing,  who  fancied  himself  something  of  a  wit 

"Oh,  this  is  no  joking  matter!"  Skelding  retorted. 

"We  won't  quarrel!"  Chickering  said,  as  he  slowly 
exhaled  a  cloud  of  cigarette  smoke. 

Julian  Ives  was  daintily  lifting  his  coat  tails  and 
standing  with  his  back  to  the  low  fire  that  burned  in 


A  Dangerous  Schemer.  19 

the  grate,  and  at  the  same  time  admiring  his  full- 
length  figure  in  the  mirror  opposite. 

"We  just  want  to  put  our  new  friend  on  guard 
against  the  brazen  fellow!"  he  said.  "It's  so  easy, 
you  know,  to  get  in  with  the  wrong  crowd,  when  one 
first  conies  to  Yale." 

Dashleigh  was  beginning  to  feel  sure  that  Merriwell 
was  not  a  proper  man  for  captain  of  the  football-team, 
though  he  did  not  see  that  he  could  do  anything  to 
keep  him  from  becoming  so. 

Tilton  Hull  dragged  out  a  mandolin. 

"I  hear  you're  something  of  a  musician,"  he  said, 
offering  it  to  Bert. 

"Yes,  I  intended  to  ask  you  to  bring  your  guitar," 
said  Chickering.  "I  neglected  it  when  I  wrote  the  in- 
vitation." 

Bert  rather  prided  himself  on  his  skill  with  the 
mandolin,  and  the  whole  party  began  to  listen  to  his 
efforts,  to  his  great  delight,  and  by  and  by  to  sing 
college  songs. 

Dade  Morgan,  passing  beneath  the  windows  of  the 
Chickering  apartments,  smiled  when  he  heard  the 
mandolin  and  the  songs,  for  he  knew  what  it  meant. 

"I've  a  dozen  little  parties  going  like  that  to-night, 
and  every  one  of  them  is  working  against  Merriwell. 
It's  a  good  beginning,  and  I'll  keep  it  up.  In  a  month 
I'll  shatter  the  popular  idol  and  lay  his  pride  in  the 
dust.  There's  nothing  downs  a  man  so  quickly  as 


2o  A  Dangerous  Schemer. 

public  sentiment,  and  I'll  work  the  sentiment  of  Yale 
against  Merriwell." 

It  was  a  large  boast,  but  Dade  Morgan  felt  that  he 
could  do  it. 

"I  must  report  this  to  Agnew,"  he  whispered,  as  he 
walked  on.  "It  will  warm  the  cockles  of  his  heart." 


CHAPTER  II. 

TEMPTED. 

That  same  evening  Dick  Starbright  stumbled  up 
against  Roland  Packard  in  front  of  the  New  Haven 
House.  Roland  had  been  waiting  for  him  there,  with 
an  evil  plan  in  his  mind,  suggested  by  Dade  Morgan. 

"Hello!"  he  said,  extending  his  hand. 

Starbright  did  not  know  Roland  Packard,  but  he 
knew  his  brother  Oliver  and  admired  him.  Both  were 
students  in  the  medical  school.  They  were  brothers 
and  twins,  who  looked  so  much  alike  that  only  their 
most  intimate  acquaintances  could  tell  one  from  the 
other.  In  addition  to  this  they  had  a  trick  of  dress- 
ing alike,  even  to  the  minutest  details. 

So  when  Roland  thus  addressed  Starbright,  and 
familiarly  extended  his  hand,  Dick  took  it  without  a 
thought  that  the  speaker  was  other  than  Oliver. 

"The  football  question  fills  the  air  like  a  fog,"  said 
Roland,  as  he  walked  along  with  Starbright,  linking 
his  arm  into  that  of  the  tall  freshman  and  looking  up 
into  his  face.  "But  you're  tall  enough  to  thrust  your 
head  above  any  fog  that  may  rise." 

"Thanks!  I  hope  I'm  not  tall  enough  to  attract 
the  attention  of  any  modern  Barnum." 

"I  saw  Walter  Camp  go  by  a  while  ago.  It's  a  big 
thing  fer  Yale  that  he's  here  this  year,  if  it's  only  as 


22  Tempted. 

an  adviser,  for  what  Camp  doesn't  know  about  the 
great  game  wouldn't  fill  a  large  book." 

Starbright  was  willing  to  concede  this,  and  said 
as  much. 

"I  had  a  talk  with  Camp  this  morning,  after  I  saw 
you." 

Roland  knew  that  Oliver  had  conversed  with  Dick 
Starbright  on  the  football  question  that  morning,  and 
he  knew  what  had  been  said,  for  Oliver  had  told  him. 
He  also  knew  that  Starbright  was  the  captain  of  the 
Andover  football-team  of  the  year  before,  and  that 
he  was  considered  at  Yale  the  most  promising  of  all 
the  freshmen  for  football  honors,  with  perhaps  the  ex- 
ception of  Dade  Morgan. 

"The  big  question  this  year  will  be  to  find  a  full- 
back, and  I  don't  mind  telling  you,  Starbright,  that 
there  is  talk  of  you  for  that  position.  Yale  is  living 
in  hope  that  the  freshman  class  will  produce  good 
timber  for  that  place.  Anyway,  I'm  betting  that 
you'll  get  on  the  team.  You  were  captain  a'  Andover 
last  year?" 

"Yes;  I  told  you  so,  you'll  remember,  this  morn- 
ing." 

"Ah!  so  you  did.     I  thought  you  said  captain!" 

It  warmed  Starbright's  heart  to  be  spoken  to  in 
this  pleasant  manner  by  a  man  whom  he  believed  to  be 
worthy  of  his  friendship. 

"Yale   abolished   summer  practise  this   year,   you 


Tempted.  23 

know;  and  the  team  is  going  to  have  precious  little 
time  to  get  into  shape  for  effective  and  winning  work. 
But  she  can  do  it,  if  no  breaks  are  made  in  making  up 
the  team." 

"Well,  I  think  I  could  name  some  good  men." 

"Who  are  they?" 

"Merriwell  and  certain  members  of  his  Athletic 
Team." 

Roland  laughed. 

"So  you've  got  the  Merriwell  fever,  have  you  ?  It's 
really  wonderful." 

"What's  wonderful?" 

"The  pull  that  fellow  has.  It  just  beats  creation. 
But  if  Merriwell  goes  on  the  team,  in  my  opinion 
.Yale  might  as  well  keep  out  of  the  games." 

"Who  is  a  better  man?" 

"Beckwith,  for  one!" 

"He's  sure  of  a  place." 

"I  don't  know  about  that" 

"Who  is  another?" 

"Dade  Morgan." 

"I  don't  like  him." 

"That's  because  you  don't  know  him.  You'll  like 
him  when  you  come  to  know  him  better." 

They  had  passed  down  the  street  beyond  Traeger's, 
but  now  turned  back,  walking  slowly  as  they  talked. 

"I  can't  understand  why  you  don't  fancy  Merri- 
well !"  said  Dick. 


24  Tempted. 

"You'll  understand,  after  you've  been  here  a  while. 
He's  popular  with  a  certain  class,  that's  all.  He  has 
round  him  a  lot  of  sycophants  who  are  Merriwell 
worshipers,  and  who  are  ready  to  sneeze  every  time 
he  takes  snuff.  You'll  find  out  by  and  by  that  is  the 
truth.  I've  nothing  personal  against  Merriwell.  He's 
a  pleasant  fellow,  in  many  ways;  but  he  won't  do  to 
tie  to  in  an  emergency.  Besides  that,  he's  got  the 
swelled  head.  He  took  some  of  his  chums  out  West 
this  summer,  and  because  they  happened  to  buck 
against  some  weak  ball-teams  and  win  a  lot  of  games, 
Merriwell  thinks  he  owns  the  earth." 

Roland's  brother  Oliver  was  to  be  away  for  a  few 
days,  and  Roland  felt  that  this,  given  as  Oliver's  opin- 
ion, would  remain  uncontradicted  for  a  little  while, 
anyhow,  long  enough,  perhaps,  for  it  to  have  effect 
in  certain  ways.  But  he  was  not  so  much  desirous 
of  striking  at  Merriwell  now  as  at  the  man  with  whom 
he  was  talking.  He  did  not  want  Dick  Starbright 
to  become  a  member  of  the  football-team,  simply  be- 
cause he  believed  that  Merriwell  did  want  him,  and 
it  was  his  plan  to  prevent  it  if  he  could.  He  and 
Dade  Morgan  had  talked  the  thing  out  that  day,  and 
there  was  a  perfect  understanding  between  them. 

When  they  again  stood  in  front  of  Traeger's,  he 
drew  Dick  toward  the  door  that  leads  to  the  down- 
stairs portion  of  that  establishment  and  Dick  went  in 
with  him.  Here,  at  one  of  the  small  round  tables 


Tempted.  25 

which  fill  the  lower  room,  the  talk  about  football  was 
continued. 

Dick  could  not  agree  with  his  supposed  new  friend 
in  the  latter's  opinion  of  Merriwell,  but  he  could  agree 
with  him  on  many  other  points,  and  the  talk  was  ex- 
ceptionally pleasant  to  the  young  and  inexperienced 
freshman  who  was  longing  for  sympathy  and  com- 
panionship. 

Roland  Packard  showed  a  surprising  amount  of  in- 
formation concerning  Yale's  football  timber  and  their 
plans,  all  of  which  was  intensely  interesting  to  the 
ex-captain  of  the  Andover  eleven. 

Students  came  and  went,  and  the  two  talked  on  in 
that  genial  way  for  a  time,  when  Roland  beckoned  to 
a  waiter.  The  waiter  disappeared,  soon  returning 
with  a  bottle  and  some  glasses.  The  bottle  contained 
a  fine  grade  of  whisky. 

Roland  turned  out  a  quantity  in  one  of  the  glasses, 
and  the  odor  smote  strongly  the  nostrils  of  Dick  Star- 
bright.  He  grew  as  white  as  a  sheet.  Roland  poured 
another  glass,  covertly  watching  the  young  freshman. 

"Here's  to  the  success  of  Yale's  football-team,  no 
matter  who  is  in  it!"  he  said,  pushing  one  of  the 
glasses  to  Starbright. 

There  was  a  strange  light  in  Dick's  eyes.  His  hands 
trembled  and  his  form  shook. 

An  almost  overpowering  temptation  to  lift  the  glass 
to  his  lips  came  upon  him.  He  asked  himself,  where 


26  Tempted. 

was  the  harm?  Why  should  he  offend  this  genial 
friend  by  a  refusal  to  drink  this  toast  with  him? 
Many  Yale  men  drank  liquor  there  at  Traeger's. 
True,  he  knew  that  the  temptation  to  drink  was  the 
black  temptation  of  his  life,  and  that  if  he  began  to 
drink  he  might  not  be  able  to  stop. 

Nevertheless,  he  put  out  his  hand.  Packard  smiled 
encouragingly. 

Starbright's  hand  stopped  half-way  to  the  glass. 
Merri well's  voice  had  sounded  from  the  pavement. 
Frank  was  talking  to  some  one  on  the  street.  He 
did  not  know  that  Starbright  was  in  Traeger's,  shaken 
by  that  almost  overmastering  temptation.  The  words 
themselves  were  trivial,  but  somehow  they  took  hold 
on  Dick  Starbright  like  fibers  of  steel.  The  uplifting 
feeling  that  had  come  to  him  from  Frank's  words  on 
the  night  of  the  great  rush  when  he  sat  on  Merri- 
well's  knee  between  the  bouts  of  the  wrestling-match 
came  to  him  again.  It  again  gave  him  strength  and 
determination. 

He  drew  back  the  extended  hand.  His  face  was 
still  white  and  his  eyes  bright  as  stars. 

"No;  I  can't  do  it!"  he  declared. 

"Why,  what's  the  matter?" 

Packard  had  heard  that  voice  on  the  sidewalk,  and 
he  now  wondered  if  it  could  have  influenced  the 
tempted  freshman.  He  knew  something  of  Merri- 


Tempted.  27 

well's  powerful  influence — his  wonderful  mastery  of 
minds  that  were  friendly  toward  him.  He  asked  him- 
self if  the  freshman  had  not  given  Merriwell  some 
promise  not  to  drink,  which  Frank's  voice  now  re- 
called. From  the  room  above  came  the  words  of  the 
song: 

"Here's  to  good  old  Yale!    drink  her  down,  drink  her  down!" 

The  song  seemed  to  say  to  Starbright,  "Drink! 
drink!"  The  fumes  of  the  liquor  cried  to  him, 
"Drink!  drink!" 

Roland  Packard,  sitting  opposite  him  like  a  smiling 
fiend,  was,  by  his  manner,  urging  him  to  drink. 

"Why,  what's  the  matter  with  you,  old  fellow?" 
Packard  queried.  "Just  a  toast  to  the  success  of  the 
football-team  ?" 

"I  could  willingly  drink  the  toast,  but  not  in 
liquor." 

"Oh,  you're  one  of  those  temperance  men !" 

Packard  said  this  with  an  impatient  sneer  that  cut 
Starbright  to  the  quick.  But  the  color  was  coming 
back  to  Starbright's  face  and  strength  to  his  brain. 

"I  can't  do  it !"  he  said,  in  a  trembling  voice.  "You 
must  pardon  me." 

He  felt  that  he  must  run,  if  he  saved  himself.  He 
did  not  know  how  he  got  out  of  the  chair ;  but  he  rose 
up,  pushing  back  the  liquor. 

Then,  with  his  heart  hammering  and  his  face  on 


28  Tempted. 

fire,  Dick  Starbright  stumbled  up  the  steps  and  into 
the  street  like  a  man  pursued. 

Merriwell  had  passed  on,  but  he  felt  that  Frank's 
voice  had  saved  him.  He  did  not  stop  to  look  back. 
He  could  explain  and  apologize  to  Packard  at  some 
other  time,  if  necessary. 

Then  he  hurried  blindly  away,  not  stopping  until  he 
had  gained  his  rooms.  Here  he  paused,  breathing 
heavily  and  looking  reproachfully  at  himself  in  the 
glass. 

"You  aren't  fit  to  live,  Starbright!  You  just  now 
insulted  one  of  the  few  friends  you  have  made  since 
coming  here!  But,  what  else  could  I  do?  I  had  to 
get  out  of  there!" 

He  scorned  and  hated  himself  and  his  weakness, 
feeling  that  he,  the  Andover  athlete  and  football- 
player,  was  weaker  and  more  cowardly  than  a  child, 
and  really  needed  a  guardian. 

Then  he  went  to  bed,  where  he  lay  tossing,  until 
Dashleigh  came  into  the  rooms  talking  hilariously  and 
volubly  of  the  great  time  he  had  enjoyed  in  Chicker- 
ing's  apartments,  and  with  a  breath  smelling  of  the 
wine  he  had  swallowed  and  the  cigarettes  he  had 
smoked. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   MYSTERIOUS   STRANGER. 

A  few  evenings  later  Dade  Morgan  had  a  visitor. 
The  man  came  to  his  rooms  after  nightfall,  tapped 
softly  on  the  door,  and  was  cautiously  admitted.  Dade 
stared  as  the  light  revealed  the  face  and  figure,  if  a 
face  may  be  said  to  be  revealed  which  is  disguised  by 
heavy  false  beard,  and  mustache  and  wig. 

"You  wouldn't  know  me  on  the  street?" 

Dade  stared  again.     The  voice  was  disguised,  too! 

"I  am  not  dead  sure  that  I  know  you  now !" 

"You  ought  to  know  Hector  King!  I  told  you 
I  was  coming." 

"No;  I  shouldn't  have  known  you  on  the  street  in 
broad  day.  That's  a  funny  disguise  you've  got  on." 

"Well,  as  you  know,  I've  my  special  reasons  for  not 
wanting  to  be  recognized  here." 

The  man  laughed  as  he  said  this  and  took  the  chair ; 
and  the  laugh  was  disguised. 

"You  ought  to  go  into  the  detective  line." 

"Thanks;  but  I've  got  one  of  the  best  detectives 
in  New  Haven  at  work  for  me.  My  part  in  this  game 
is  more  important.  How  are  you  getting  along?" 

He  had  spoken  in  low  tones,  and  now  he  glanced 
toward  the  door. 

"Oh,  we're  all  right,"  Dade  said,  seating  himself. 


3o  The  Mysterious  Stranger. 

"The  fellows  are  all  out  at  the  fence  or  strolling  about 
town.  I  ought  to  be  getting  the  night  air  for  the 
benefit  of  my  health  and  muscle." 

He  smilingly  glanced  at  some  dumb-bells  and  In- 
dian clubs  and  a  strength-developing  machine  in  the 
corner  of  the  room.  The  stranger  nodded  and 
laughed. 

"I'm  plowing  into  Merriwell  all  I  can,"  said  Dade. 
"I'm  working  up  a  tremendous  sentiment  against  him. 
He  hasn't  begun  to  feel  it  much  yet,  but  he'll  feel  it  by 
and  by.  I've  been  trying  to  think  out  a  plan  to  throw 
Bart  Hodge  down.  That  would  hurt  Merriwell  more 
than  anything  else.  I  think  I  can  do  it  by  and  by!" 

Then  he  told  of  Dashleigh  and  Starbright. 

"I've  got  Dashleigh  on  the  string  all  right,  and 
I'll  get  Starbright.  I  came  near  getting  him  the  other 
evening.  I've  a  trick  that's  working  now  that  will 
surely  throw  him." 

He  laughed  like  a  fiend;  then  remembered  himself 
and  drew  his  features  into  a  smile  of  apparent  joy. 
Getting  up,  he  looked  at  his  handsome  face  in  the 
glass. 

"I  keep  practising  this  effective  smile  all  the  time. 
You  don't  know  how  powerful  it  is.  It's  already  won 
me  a  host  of  friends,  and  will  win  me  more.  The  fel- 
lows are  coming  over  to  my  side.  I'm  Merri well's 
open  enemy  now,  and  I'm  stacking  the  cards  against 


The  Mysterious  Stranger.  31 

him.    He  wants  to  be  captain  of  the  football-team,  but 
he'll  get  it  in  the  neck." 

"Perhaps  you  can  guess  what  brought  me  here?" 

"To  hear  how  I  am  getting  along,  and  because  you 
said  you  were  coming." 

"I'm  going  to  help  you  crush  Merriwell  by  spirit- 
ing away  his  father!" 

Dade  gasped. 

"If  Frank  carries  out  his  plans,  he  must  be  right 
here  on  the  grounds;  but  he, won't  remain  here,  if  his 
father  suddenly  and  mysteriously  disappears." 

"But  the  old  man  has  gone  away  in  that  queer 
manner  before.  It  won't  work." 

"Merriwell  thinks  that  his  father  is  all  right  now; 
and  he  is  all  right.  But  when  he  suddenly  drops  out 
of  existence  Frank  will  be  alarmed,  for  he  will  think 
that  one  of  the  old  streaks  of  insanity  has  attacked  his 
father,  and  he  will  devote  his  energies  to  the  work 
of  rinding  him." 

"You  are  going  to  spirit  him  away?" 

The  disguised  laugh  that  followed  was  so  harsh    ' 
and  cold-blooded  that  Dade  shuddered. 

"Yes,  I  shall  spirit  him  away — and  to-night.  My 
plans  are  all  laid.  That's  why  I  came  to  New  Haven 
to-night.  I  shall  strike  in  the  dark  and  disappear  in 
the  dark.  That's  why  I  am  in  this  disguise.  That's 
why  I  am  Hector  King,  instead  of  my  real  self." 

"But " 


32  The  Mysterious  Stranger. 

The  right  name  of  the  man  before  him  was  on 
Dade's  lips,  but  the  stranger  seemed  to  divine  it  and 
held  up  a  finger  warningly. 

"That  name  must  never  be  spoken  by  you  until  I 
give  permission.  I  am  Hector  King!  Understand! 
That  is  my  name  to  you,  and  you  must  not  even  think 
of  any  other  name." 

"How  are  you  going  to  get  Charles  Merriwell  away 
from  his  room  at  the  New  Haven  House?  He  stays 
there  pretty  closely." 

"I  shall  not  try  to  get  him  away  from  his  room. 
He  takes  a  walk  through  the  green  every  evening.  I 
shall  find  him  there.  Eleven  o'clock  is  his  favorite 
time.  Sometimes,  when  he  does  not  sleep  well,  he  is 
to  be  seen  there  at  much  later  hours." 

He  laughed,  so  falsely  and  in  such  a  disguised  voice 
that  Bade  Morgan  shivered. 

"To-morrow  morning  you  may  begin  to  tell  the  fel- 
lows that  Charles  Conrad  Merriwell  has  had  another 
of  his  insane  spells  and  has  skipped  out.  Work  this 
for  all  its  worth.  Insanity  runs  in  families.  Merri* 
well  has  done  queer  things  in  his  time — Frank  Merri- 
well, I  mean.  Pull  that  string;  and  show  that  he  is 
not  a  fellow  to  be  trusted.  Say  that  it  was  a  crazy 
streak  that  led  him  to  organize  his  chums  into  an 
Athletic  Team  for  an  advertising  tour.  You  can 
work  it." 

"I  will  work  it !"  Dade  tremblingly  promised. 


The  Mysterious  Stranger.  33 

"I  knew  you  would.     Now  I'm  going!" 

"So  soon?" 

"Yes.  I'll  see  you  again ;  and  if  I  don't,  I'll  write. 
If  you  want  detective  help,  go  to  the  fellow  named  in 
my  letters.  He's  shrewd  and  capable,  and  he  knows 
how  to  hold  his  tongue  when  he's  well  paid." 

The  disguised  man  rose  to  his  feet,  softly  opened 
the  door  and  slipped  away,  leaving  Dade  staring  at 
vacancy. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A   BLOW   THAT   HURT. 

Dick  Starbright  received  a  letter  the  next  afternoon 
which  took  all  the  strength  out  of  him.  The  envelope 
was  addressed  in  a  delicate  feminine  hand  and  post- 
marked in  an  interior  town,  and  Starbright  tore  it 
open  with  eager  impatience.  It  held  but  a  few  words, 
but  these  stabbed  him  like  a  knife. 

"You  will  please  discontinue  your  letters  to  me, 
for  we  shall  be  henceforth  only  strangers. 

"ROSALIND  THORNTON/' 

Dick's  fingers  shook  as  he  read  the  letter  over  and 
over.  His  face  whitened,  and  there  were  lines  of  pain 
round  the  firm,  true  mouth,  but  that  was  the  only  out- 
ward sign  of  anguish. 

"I  have  been  afraid  of  it,"  he  muttered. 

He  folded  the  letter,  put  it  back  in  its  envelope, 
carefully  stowed  it  in  an  inner  pocket,  as  if  it  were 
something  precious,  and  began  to  pace  the  floor. 

"I  might  as  well  get  out  of  Yale  now!"  was  his 
thought.  "What's  the  use?" 

His  mind  went  back  to  the  glorious  summer  days 
recently  past  and  to  the  time  when  he  had  first  met 
Rose  Thornton.  It  was  at  a  little  village  in  a  notch 
of  the  White  Mountains.  He  had  been  boarding  and 


A  Blow  that  Hurt.  35 

lounging  there,  when  the  girl,  who  had  since  become 
so  much  to  him,  had  come  to  the  place  with  her  aunt 
for  a  few  days'  stay. 

He  went  over  in  memory  that  first  meeting,  to- 
gether with  the  other  meetings  that  followed.  They 
had  played  tennis  and  golf  together,  they  had  walked 
together  along  the  rim  of  the  hills  and  through  the 
woodland  paths,  they  had  ridden  and  driven  together. 
He  had  said  some  words  to  her  that  might  mean  a 
great  deal  if  the  fates  willed,  but  which  became  mean- 
ingless now. 

Rosalind  Thornton  had  been  in  his  dreams  when 
he  came  to  New  Haven.  Thought  of  her  had  spurred 
his  ambitions.  A  desire  to  do  something  and  be 
something  for  her  sake  had  nerved  his  hand  and  his 
brain. 

She  had  relatives  in  New  Haven.  The  aunt  with 
whom  she  had  visited  the  White  Mountains  was  a 
resident  of  that  city.  For  this  reason  he  had  ex- 
pected to  be  able  to  meet  Rose  more  than  once  during 
his  first  college  term.  He  had  thought  of  her  as  he 
walked  about  the  New  Haven  streets  through  those 
first  homesick  days  at  college. 

But  it  was  all  over  now.  They  had  been  unfortu- 
nate enough  to  quarrel  a  few  weeks  before,  but  that 
had  been  patched  up.  He  had  been  fearful,  though, 
since. 


36  A  Blow  that  Hurt. 

"It's  all  over!"  he  said,  as  he  tried  to  pull  himself 
together. 

He  did  not  blame  Rose  for  putting  in  no  word 
of  explanation.  Certain  things  had  been  told  her 
against  him  before.  He  knew  that,  for  she  had  so  in- 
formed him.  They  were  true.  Something  else  had 
now  been  told  her.  Perhaps  that  was  also  true. 

"Well,  I  won't  get  down  on  my  knees  and  beg  her 
to  let  us  remain  as  we  were!"  he  grimly  declared. 

Then,  feeling  miserable,  he  left  the  room  and  went 
out  for  a  stroll.  The  afternoon  was  a  half-holiday. 
He  might  have  remained  in  for  study,  but  he  knew 
that  he  could  not  study.  He  wanted  to  get  away  from 
himself  and  from  thoughts  of  Rosalind;  yet  he  knew 
that,  wheresoever  he  wandered,  this  was  impossible. 

Down  by  the  New  Haven  House  he  once  more  met 
his  evil  genius,  whom  he  again  mistook  for  Oliver. 

He  could  not  know  that  Roland  was  expecting 
him,  with  an  assured  feeling  that  he  would  come 
sooner  or  later,  and  that  he  was  but  the  victim  of  a 
plot  hatched  in  the  cunning  brain  of  Dade  Morgan, 
for  the  letter  had  been  unmistakably  in  the  handwri- 
ting of  Rose  Thornton. 

He  had  kept  away  from  Packard  since  the  evening 
of  that  visit  to  Traeger's,  but  he  now  welcomed  the 
warm  grasp  of  Roland  Packard's  hand.  He  was  in 
a  reckless  mood,  too.  He  was  telling  himself  over 
and  over,  "What's  the  use?" 


A  Blow  that  Hurt.  37 

Seemingly,  there  was  no  use.  What  if  he  did  fail 
in  class  and  athletic  honors  at  Yale?  It  made  no  dif- 
ference now.  Nor  did  it  matter  much  if  he  went  to 
the  dogs  over  the  shortest  possible  route. 

Packard  again  linked  his  arm  warmly  in  Dick's, 
and  they  turned  down  the  street  together.  Packard 
did  not  seem  to  notice  that  they  were  walking  toward 
iTraeger's.  Dick  Starbright  noticed  it,  and  he  did  not 
care.  He  cared  nothing  now  to  drink  that  toast  to 
the  success  of  Yale's  football-team,  but  he  would  not 
have  pushed  the  glass  from  him. 

But  Packard  was  crafty,  and  pulled  him  by  Trae- 
ger's  without  so  much  as  looking  at  the  place.  He 
had  failed  in  his  previous  effort  at  Traeger's,  and  he 
purposed  now  to  steer  his  intended  victim  into 
Morey's,  for  many  freshmen  like  to  get  a  view  of  the 
interior  of  that  famous  old  tavern,  a  privilege  which 
is  not  accorded  them  unless  they  are  accompanied  by 
an  upper  classman. 

Roland  Packard  was  well  acquainted  with  Morey's 
and  the  keeper  there.  Starbright  was  going  along 
willingly  enough,  thinking  of  Rosalind  and  telling 
himself  that  nothing  in  the  world  was  of  any  use 
now. 

They  crossed  Temple  Street  and  turned  down  that 
thoroughfare.  Just  then  there  was  a  whirr  of  wheels 
and  the  buzzing  sound  of  an  automobile,  and  Frank 
Merriwell's  voice  came  out  of  the  noise: 


38  A  Blow  that  Hurt. 

"Starbright!  I  should  like  to  speak  to  you  a  min- 
ute!" 

Again,  as  it  seemed,  had  Merriwell  drawn  Dick 
Starbright  back  from  the  power  of  the  insidious 
tempter. 

"Just  a  moment!"  said  Starbright,  turning  from 
Packard,  who  uttered  a  low  and  bitter  curse  under  his 
breath. 

"The  scoundrel!"  Packard  hissed,  as  Dick  was 
walking  off.  "Merriwell  is  always  turning  up  at  the 
wrong  moment.  How  the  deuce  did  he  know?" 

It  was  a  queer  mental  question,  yet  Roland  Packard 
could  not  help  the  feeling  that  Merriwell  had  in  some 
manner  divined  his  intentions.  Frank  spoke  a  few, 
words  to  Starbright,  then  called  out: 

"I  have  invited  Starbright  to  take  a  little  ride  with 
me,  Roland,  and  he  has  accepted.  See  you  later — per- 
haps!" 

"Roland?" 

Frank  Merriwell's  automobile  had  started  on  with 
Dick  at  Frank's  side,  leaving  Roland  Packard  white 
with  wrath.  The  question  was  from  Starbright. 

"You  thought  the  fellow  was  Oliver.  I  guessed  as 
much!" 

Merriwell  had  guessed  a  good  deal  more,  had  in 
truth  seen  perfectly  through  Roland's  sinister  inten- 
tions, though  he  did  not  care  to  say  so  just  then. 


A  Blow  that  Hurt.  39 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  was  not  Oliver  Pack- 
ard?" 

"A  very  different  fellow  from  Oliver.  Oliver  is  a 
gentleman.  Roland  is  a  scamp  that  any  one  will  do 
well  to  keep  away  from.  I  was  sure  you  were  mis- 
taken. They  are  twin  brothers,  and  their  most  inti- 
mate friends  find  trouble  at  times  in  telling  them 
apart.  I  can't  always  do  it,  but  I  knew  it  was  Roland 
as  soon  as  I  saw  him  heading  in  that  direction.  Not 
but  that  Morey's  is  all  right  in  many  respects,  but  I 
think  Oliver  does  not  go  there." 

The  automobile  was  spinning  along  the  firm  road- 
way, and  the  motion,  together  with  Merriwell's 
strengthening  presence,  seemed  to  lift  the  young  fresh- 
man out  of  his  depressed  state.  Again  he  felt  that 
influence  which  Frank  was  able  to  exert  over  those 
who  desired  to  have  his  help  and  become  his  friends. 

Starbright  had  taken  no  stock  in  the  stories  which 
the  Chickering  set  had  diligently  poured  into  the  ears 
of  Bert  Dashleigh  and  which  Dashleigh  had  repeated 
to  him.  He  still  believed  in  Merriwell,  and  wanted 
to  be  numbered  among  his  friends  and  adherents.  He 
had  been  called  "Frank  Merriwell's  New  Protege," 
and  the  title,  which  seemed  destined  to  stick,  had 
drawn  him  nearer  to  Merriwell  than  anything  else. 

Frank  headed  the  automobile  'Out  into  the  country, 
when  the  streets  of  the  city  were  left  behind.  The 
odors  of  autumn  were  in  the  air  and  the  brush  of  the 


40  A  Blow  that  Hurt. 

great  painter,  Nature,  had  given  to  the  trees  an  in- 
finite variety  of  gorgeous  tints. 

The  two  young  fellows  had  been  chafting  of  college 
subjects,  especially  of  college  sports,  but  nothing  had 
been  said  for  some  time  of  Roland,  though  the  events 
of  the  afternoon  were  constantly  in  Dick's  mind. 

"I  was  about  to  make  a  fool  of  myself,"  he  declared 
at  last,  in  a  sudden  outburst,  for  something  in  Merri- 
well's  manner  invited  the  confidence.  "Perhaps  I 
might  have  had  strength  to  resist  after  entering  the 
place,  but  I  doubt  it.  A  man  never  resists  anything 
unless  he  wants  to  resist,  and  the  desire  to  resist  had 
been  taken  from  me.  You  don't  mind,  if  I  tell  you  of 
myself?" 

"No;  I  want  you  to.  Perhaps  I  can  be  of  service 
to  you." 

Dick  thought  of  Rosalind  Thornton,  and  felt  that 
here  Merriwell  could  not  help  him. 

"I  was  about  to  do  the  one  thing  of  all  others  that 
I  ought  not  to  do — go  into  Morey's  and  take  a  drink 
as  a  bracer." 

He  waited  for  Merriwell  to  say  something;  then 
went  on: 

"That's  a  thing  I've  got  to  fight  against,  Merri- 
well, though  I'm  ashamed  to  say  it." 

Frank  urged  him  to  go  on. 

"The  desire  is  in  my  blood,  and  I  inherited  it  from 
my  father.  There  seems  to  be  two  natures  struggling 


A  Blow  that  Hurt.  41 

in  me  continually  for  the  mastery — that  of  my  father 
and  that  of  my  mother.  My  father  had  but  one  fault 
— he  was  a  drinking  man." 

He  was  stumbling  on  as  if  he  feared  he  would  lose 
his  courage. 

"Father  was  a  sea  captain  of  the  old  style.  Bluff, 
gruff,  brave,  and  jolly.  He  was  generous  to  a  fault, 
and  I  think  it  must  have  been  his  generous  disposition 
which  led  him  to  drink,  for  when  he  sailed  the  seas, 
drinking  was  common  among  seafaring  men.  He  was 
in  the  China  trade,  and  he  made  a  fortune  in  it  and 
came  home  to  enjoy  it.  But  he  could  not  get  away 
from  drink.  It  killed  him  and  almost  broke  my 
mother's  heart.  Yet,  knowing  all  this,  I  have  a  cra- 
ving for  the  stuff.  I  must  have  inherited  it  from  him, 
for  I  never  did  anything  to  acquire  it." 

Frank  Merriwell,  looking  into  the  open,  honest  face, 
unsullied  and  unpolluted,  could  see  that  this  was  so. 

"That's  all,  Merriwell — at  least,  all  that's  pertinent 
now.  I'm  a  mixture,  and  the  devil  fights  within  me 
for  the  mastery." 

He  could  feel  Frank's  sympathy,  and  it  strength- 
ened him,  though  no  word  was  spoken.  Frank  was 
thinking  of  his  own  peculiar  temptation,  against  which 
he  had  been  compelled  to  wage  an  unrelenting  war- 
fare— the  temptation  to  play  cards  and  gamble. 

"I  know  how  it  is,  Dick.  You  must  just  make  up 
your  mind  to  keep  away  from  the  stuff.  Shun  the 


42  A  Blow  that  Hurt. 

companionship  of  fellows  who  drink.  Come  to  me, 
whenever  you  feel  pressed,  and  I  think  I  can  help 
you." 

"I  take  my  great  size  and  height  from  my  father; 
that  is  to  say,  my  physical  strength,  and  along  with 
it  this  weakness.  I  don't  look  weak,  Merriwell,  but  I 
am!" 

Suddenly  Starbright  uttered  a  cry: 

"Rosalind!" 

The  name  came  from  his  lips  before  he  could 
check  it.  Just  ahead  of  them  was  a  narrow  bridge 
over  a  stream.  On  this  bridge,  coming  toward  them, 
was  a  young  woman  on  a  bicycle. 

A  horse  was  dashing  along  the  bridge  on  the  farther 
side,  drawing  a  buggy.  Frank  saw  in  an  instant  that 
the  horse  was  running  away. 

The  young  woman  became  aware  of  the  same  thing 
at  that  moment,  and,  turning  her  wheel  to  the  railing, 
dismounted.  The  railing  gave  way  as  she  did  so,  for 
she  fell  heavily  against  it  in  her  excitement,  and  the 
next  instant  she  went  plunging  downward  from  the 
bridge. 

Dick  Starbright  leaped  from  the  automobile  before 
Frank  could  stop  it.  The  girl  who  had  fallen  from 
the  bridge  was  Rosalind  Thornton. 

The  runaway  horse  came  tearing  along,  with  the 
man  hanging  frantically  to  the  reins,  grazed  a  wheel 
of  the  automobile,  then  dashed  madly  down  the  road. 


A  Blow  that  Hurt.  43 

Frank  had  brought  the  automobile  to  a  stop,  and 
now  sprang  after  Starbright  He  feared  the  girl  had 
fallen  to  her  death,  for  the  drop  from  the  bridge 
seemed  a  big  one.  On  the  impulse  of  the  moment, 
without  realizing  the  dangers,  Starbright  leaped  from 
the  bridge  for  the  purpose  of  jumping  into  the  stream 
to  rescue  her. 

As  Frank  reached  the  first  boards,  he  was  greeted 
by  a  shout,  which  he  was  sure  was  not  a  shout  for 
help  or  a  cry  of  despair.  Then  he  saw  Starbright 
standing  up  on  a  load  of  hay,  wildly  waving  his  hat, 
and  with  the  other  hand  supporting  the  girl.  This 
was  so  different  from  what  Frank  expected  that  for  a 
moment  he  stared. 

By  some  miraculous  chance,  a  farmer  with  the  load 
of  hay  had  chosen  to  ford  the  stream  rather  than  the 
bridge.  When  Rosalind  went  off  the  bridge,  she  fell 
upon  this  load  of  hay,  which  was  just  below  and  at 
the  side  of  the  bridge,  and  Starbright  had  leaped  after 
her  and  landed  at  her  side. 

The  stolid  driver  had  pulled  his  horses  to  a  stop  and 
now  sat  in  front  on  his  load  of  hay,  staring  back  at 
Starbright  and  the  girl  as  if  he  could  not  understand 
how  they  came  to  be  there. 

This  unexpected  development  of  what  might  have 
been  a  grave  accident  was  so  much  like  a  scene  out  of 
a  comic  opera  that  Frank  laughed,  then  swung  his  cap 
and  sent  back  a  cheer. 


CHAPTER  V. 
MR.  MERRIWELL'S  DISAPPEARANCE. 

"I  was  foolish  enough  to  believe  a  slanderous  letter 
about  Dick  that  I  received  from  an  acquaintance  here 
in  New  Haven." 

Frank  Merriwell's  automobile  was  spinning  home- 
ward. Dick  Starbright  and  Rose  Thornton  were 
seated  in  it,  side  by  side,  holding  the  bicycle.  They 
had  taken  time  for  a  talk,  which  had  resulted  in  an 
understanding  and  a  restoration  of  the  old  order  of 
things. 

Rosalind  was  a  pretty  girl  of  seventeen,  with  dark, 
laughing  eyes  and  a  winsome  smile.  But  Merriwell 
could  see  that  she  could  become  intensely  jealous  on 
slight  provocation. 

"It  was  from  Grace  Garcelon.  She  has  pretended 
to  be  my  friend  all  along.  I  ought  to  have  known 
enough,  though,  not  to  believe  anything  she  would 
write  about  Dick.  She  was  up  in  the  White  Moun- 
tains with  me  this  summer,  and  I  had  enough  chances 
to  know  her!" 

Frank  concealed  a  smile.  He  knew  that  Dick  Star- 
bright  had  also  been  in  the  White  Mountains.  Rose's 
manner  told  him  that  she  was  jealous  of  Grace  Garce- 
lon. He  knew,  now,  why  Dick  had  been  so  depressed. 
There  had  been  a  quarrel  of  some  kind  between  Dick 


Mr.  Merriwell's  Disappearance.         45 

and  Rose,  and  the  result  had  been  to  make  Dick 
despondent  and  somewhat  reckless.  Thinking  along 
this  line,  as  the  two  chattered  on  in  the  back  seat,  he 
suddenly  remarked: 

"Perhaps  Dick  has  some  enemy  in  Yale  who  has 
told  false  stories  to  Miss  Garcelon  about  him?" 

As  usual,  Merriwell's  keen  discernment  had  struck 
right  to  the  root  of  the  matter.  Through  the  machi- 
nations of  Dade  Morgan,  Grace  Garcelon  had  been  led 
to  write  the  letter  to  Rosalind,  which  had  brought  the 
discouraging  note  to  Dick  Starbright. 

Merriwell  understood,  too,  another  thing.  Rose 
had  been  introduced  to  him  by  Starbright  as  from 
another  town  than  New  Haven,  and  as  being  on  a 
visit  to  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Virgil  Throckmorton.  She  had 
arrived  in  New  Haven  only  that  morning;  and  Mer- 
riwell knew  that  her  desire  to  learn  the  truth  of  Grace 
Garcelon's  account  had  drawn  her  to  the  city. 

She  had  ridden  on  her  wheel  out  into  the  coun- 
try, merely  because  she  was  too  nervous  and  upset  to 
remain  in  the  house  or  in  the  New  Haven  streets  and 
stores;  and,  by  a  happy  chance,  she  had  encountered 
Dick  in  that  wholly  unexpected  way,  and  so  there  had 
been  brought  about  a  talk  and  an  understanding. 

"Dick  is  safe  from  Roland  Packard  and  Dade 
Morgan  for  a  while,"  was  Frank's  conclusion,  as  he 
sent  the  automobile  on  toward  the  streets  of  the  col" 
lege  city. 


46         Mr.  Merriwell's  Disappearance. 

Dick  and  Rosalind  left  the  car  when  they  reached 
Church  Street  to  go  to  Mrs.  Throckmorton's,  and 
Frank  set  out  for  his  rooms  in  Vanderbilt  Hall. 

He  found  a  number  of  friends  there,  awaiting  him 
in  much  excitement.  Hodge  was  there,  with  Brown- 
ing, Ready,  Carker,  Carson,  and  others. 

"Do  you  know  what  Dade  Morgan  is  telling?" 
Hodge  asked,  and  his  excited  and  angry  manner 
showed  that  he  was  aching  to  punch  Dade's  head. 

Frank  dropped  into  an  easy  chair,  as  smiling  and 
undisturbed  as  a  May  morning. 

"I'm  sure  I  shall  not  let  myself  get  excited  over 
anything  that  fellow  may  say!" 

"Well,  he  started  in  this  morning,  and  it's  all  over 
Yale,  that  your  father  became  violently  insane  last 
night,  and  has  disappeared  mysteriously  from  his 
rooms  at  the  New  Haven  House,  and  from  the  city." 

"Which  can  be  easily  disproved  by  any  one  who 
will  take  the  trouble  to  go  down  to  the  New  Haven 
House." 

"But  we've  been  there!" 

"And  he  isn't  there?" 

"No.  That's  just  it.  He  went  out  for  a  walk  in 
the  green  last  night  and  failed  to  return.  His  room 
showed  that  he  was  not  in  it  last  night.  No  one  down 
there  knows  what  has  become  of  him." 

Merriwell  was  disturbed,  in  spite  of  his  declaration 
that  nothing  Dade  Morgan  could  say  would  have  that 


Mr.  Merriwell's  Disappearance.         47 

effect.  He  remembered  the  time  when  Dade  stretched 
a  rope  across  the  path  of  Charles  Merriwell  at  night 
in  the  green  and  tripped  him.  A  sense  of  impending 
ill  came  to  him. 

"Have  you  made  any  inquiries?" 

"As  much  as  we  could  without  exciting  undue  sus-  \ 
picion,"  said  Browning. 

"Have  you  found  out  how  Dade  Morgan  obtained 
his  information?" 

He  felt  sure  that  Dade  Morgan  knew  more  than  he 
had  declared. 

"He  says  he  saw  your  father  on  the  green  last  night 
wandering  round  raving  mad  and  muttering  to  him- 
self that  he  was  going  to  get  out  of  New  Haven." 

"Of  course  that's  a  lie!"  said  Hooker. 

"A  lie  right  out  of  his  black  heart !"  Hodge  panted. 

"That  part  of  it  is  a  lie,"  said  Frank,  "but  I'm 
afraid  there  has  been  some  underhanded  work." 

"Dade  Morgan  is  at  the  bottom  of  it !"  Bart  fiercely 
declared. 

Merriwell  rose  from  his  chair. 

"I'm  going  to  look  into  this  thing." 

Hodge  followed  him  out  into  the  hall,  though  un- 
invited. 

"I  want  to  go  with  you,  Merry.  Perhaps  I  can 
help  you!" 

The  others  trailed  out  after  Hodge. 

"Hodge  and  I  will  look  into  this  thing.     Just  keep 


48         Mr.  Merriwell's  Disappearance. 

mum,  fellows,  until  we  make  a  report.  There's  no 
use  in  scattering  the  news." 

"Oh,  Bade  Morgan's  doing  that,  you  bet!"  grunted 
Browning.  "It  makes  me  want  to  shake  that  lying 
tongue  out  of  his  head." 

"I'll  hammer  it  down  his  throat,  if  I  run  up  against 
him!"  Hodge  asserted. 

"You  know  how  Dade  has  been  working  against 
you,  Merry!"  Hodge  continued,  after  they  descended 
from  the  Hall. 

"Anything  new?" 

"Well,  he's  using  this  against  you  with  the  football 
men,  and  all  his  clackers  are  retailing  the  same  thing. 
They're  saying  that  you  are  crazy  at  times,  that  you 
take  it  from  your  father,  and  that  it  would  be  suicidal 
to  put  you  in  as  captain  of  the  team." 

"I'm  not  anxious  to  go  in  as  captain,  if  I'm  not 
wanted." 

"But  you  are  wanted." 

"Then  these  stories  can't  hurt  me." 

"But  they  are  hurting  you.  Your  friends  want  you 
for  captain  of  the  team,  and  they  are  going  to  put  you 
there  if  they  can,  whether  you  care  anything  about  it 
or  not.  We're  going  to  fight  for  it.  Dade  Morgan 
is  against  you,  and  he  has  rallied  every  man  who  ever 
fancied  you  did  him  an  injury,  and  that  other  great 
lot  of  fellows  who  have  always  been  jealous  of  your 
popularity." 


Mr.  Merriwell's  Disappearance.        49 

"That  doesn't  matter." 

"It  does  matter!" 

"You  know,  Bart,  that  in  football  I'm  only  anxious 
to  have  Yale  win.  I've  no  personal  feelings  in  the 
matter,  no  ax  to  grind,  no  enemies  to  punish." 

"Well,  I  want  you  to  punish  Dade  Morgan !" 

"In  football?" 

"Yes;  he  mustn't  go  on  the  team.  You  can  keep 
him  off,  if  you  will  use  your  influence.  He's  pulling 
every  string  he  can  against  you,  and  you  ought  to 
strike  back." 

Frank  smiled,  in  spite  of  his  anxiety  about  his 
father. 

"It  would  be  a  strange  thing  if  I,  a  senior,  should 
range  myself  against  that  freshman  in  such  a  con- 
test. It's  simply  ridiculous." 

"Then  he  will  go  on  the  team!" 

"If  he  adds  strength  to  the  team,  I'm  willing." 

"Merry,  you  make  me  tired!  That  kind  of  talk 
makes  me  sick!" 

"He's  said  to  be  a  fine  football-player." 

"I  shouldn't  care  if  he  were  the  finest  on  earth,  I'd 
never  let  him  have  the  satisfaction  of  going  on  the 
Yale  team,  if  I  had  my  way!" 

Merriwell  was  striding  on  as  if  this  subject  did  not 
concern  him. 

"Why,  look  at  what  he's  doing!  He  is  telling  all 
sorts  of  stories  about  you;  and  not  only  that,  he  has 


5o         Mr.  Merriwell's  Disappearance. 

in  some  manner  got  every  man  who  dislikes  you  to 
telling  the  same.  They're  doing  everything  they  can 
to  rub  dirt  all  over  you,  to  smirch  your  character,  and 
to  injure  you  in  the  eyes  of  all  Yale  men." 

Frank  turned  toward  a  street-car  when  they  reached 
the  line. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  Hodge  impatiently  asked. 

"To  see  Selton  Dirk,  the  detective,"  answered 
Merry  quietly. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A    VISIT    TO   BADE    MORGAN. 

Merriwell  saw  Selton  Dirk,  talked  with  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  New  Haven  House,  questioned  quietly 
the  officers  at  the  railway  station — in  fact,  left  no 
stone  unturned  to  locate  his  father  or  determine  what 
had  become  of  him,  but  without  avail.  Charles  Con- 
rad Merriwell  seemed  to  have  dropped  out  of  ex- 
istence. 

Frank  was  deeply  disturbed  and  distressed.  No 
one  would  have  guessed  it,  however,  from  any  out- 
ward sign.  Only  his  friends  knew  how  the  disappear- 
ance troubled  him.  He  could  not  hide  from  himself 
the  fact  that  there  might  be  more  than  a  grain  of 
truth  in  Dade  Morgan's  statement  that  Charles  Merri- 
well's  mind  was  deranged.  But  Frank  was  determined 
not  to  believe  this  until  it  was  absolutely  forced  on 
him  as  the  truth. 

"I  shall  proceed  on  the  theory  that  there  has  been 
some  foul  play,  of  which  Dade  Morgan  is  cognizant," 
he  said,  speaking  to  Bart,  as  they  turned  toward  Van- 
derbilt,  at  the  end  of  their  wearying  and  fruitless 
search. 

The  day  had  passed  and  night  had  again  descended 
on  the  elms  of  the  college  city.  Freshmen  were 


52  A  Visit  to  Dade  Morgan. 

skurrying  about  the  streets  and  college  grounds,  and 
the  seniors  and  juniors  were  gathering  at  the  fence. 

"I  just  want  an  opportunity  to  take  the  scoundrel 
by  the  throat!"  Hodge  growled.  Suddenly  Frank 
stopped. 

"What  is  it,  Merry?" 

"I'm  going  over  to  see  Dade  Morgan." 

"Good!  I'll  go  with  you!  We'll  choke  the  truth 
out  of  the  scoundrel !" 

"That's  the  trouble  withTybu,  Bart!  I  don't  think 
you're  the  one  to  go  with  me  in  that  mood.  That 
may  be  the  very  worst  course  to  take." 

"Run  it  to  suit  yourself,  Merry!"  Hodge  im- 
patiently grumbled.  "That's  my  way  of  doing  busi- 
ness, though!" 

Frank  knew  that  he  had  no  better  friend  than  Bart 
Hodge. 

"You're  all  right,  Bart ;  only  you're  fiery.  We'll  go 
over  there,  and  I'll  do  the  talking.  If  the  fellow 
knows  anything " 

"Knows  anything?  The  scoundrel  is  at  the  bottom 
of  the  whole  business!" 

"I  think  so,  myself.    Come  on." 

Dade  Morgan's  room  was  not  far  away,  and  they 
soon  reached  the  building.  When  they  mounted  to 
the  floor  on  which  his  room  was  located  they  found 
his  door  open  and  Dade  in.  He  looked  surprised  and 


A  Visit  to  Dade  Morgan.  53 

somewhat  perturbed  by  the  unexpected  call.  But  only 
for  a  moment;  then  the  smile  returned  to  his  hand- 
some face.  Hodge  wanted  to  choke  him  for  that 
smile. 

"Be  seated,  gentlemen!"  he  invited.  "To  whom 
am  I  indebted  for  the  honor?" 

Merriwell  dropped  into  a  chair,  but  Hodge  re- 
mained standing  near  the  door.  He  had  a  notion 
that  Dade  might  try  to  make  a  break  for  the  outer 
air,  and  he  wanted  to  be  where  he  could  stop  him  in 
that  event. 

Frank  sat  down  and  began  to  talk  on  indifferent 
things,  all  the  while  looking  into  Morgan's  handsome, 
smiling  face,  but  making  no  mention  of  the  subject 
uppermost  in  his  mind. 

Morgan  was  a  good  talker  on  any  subject.  He  was 
wonderfully  well  informed.  He  fancied  that  Frank 
was  trying  to  take  a  mental  measure,  and  he  tried  to 
make  as  brilliant  a  showing  as  he  could. 

By  and  by  it  began  to  seem  to  Hodge  that  Frank 
had  entirely  forgotten  the  subject  that  brought  them 
to  Dade's  room.  He  grew  impatient  and  anxious,  but 
he  did  not  sit  down,  and  he  never  left  the  vicinity  of 
the  door. 

"Why  does  he  amble  on  in  that  fashion?"  he  men- 
tally grumbled.  "My  way  is  to  go  right  to  the  point 
at  once."  He  did  not  see  that  Frank  was  trying  to 
get  Dade  under  his  powerful  and  subtle  influence  for 


54  A  Visit  to  Dade  Morgan. 

the  purpose  of  then  extracting  all  the  information  he 
possessed  concerning  Frank's  father. 

But  Dade  Morgan  knew  it  and  understood.  His 
eyes  wavered  away  from  Frank's  as  they  talked  on, 
but  always  came  back.  Finally  Frank  began  to  think 
that  he  was  about  to  accomplish  his  purpose. 

But  suddenly  Dade  aroused  himself  with  an  ap- 
parent effort,  and,  picking  up  a  heavy  book,  hurled 
it  straight  at  Hodge's  head.  It  fell  short,  striking 
Hodge  on  the  shoulder  and  almost  knocking  him 
down. 

With  an  enraged  roar,  Hodge  sprang  at  Dade  Mor- 
gan's throat. 

"You  villain!"  he  snarled. 

Dade  rose  to  meet  him,  now  thoroughly  aroused 
and  on  the  defensive.  He  cleverly  evaded  the  blow; 
that  Hodge  launched  at  his  head,  met  it  with  a  counter 
blow  on  Hodge's  cheek,  and  tried  to  drive  his  heavy, 
left  into  the  pit  of  Hodge's  stomach. 

But  Bart's  rush  was  irresistible.  It  carried  Mor- 
gan off  his  feet;  and  in  another  moment  they  were 
rolling  on  the  floor,  with  Hodge's  hand  searching  for, 
Dade's  throat. 

Frank  knew  that  Dade  had  roused  himself  in  a 
desperate  effort  to  break  the  spell  that  was  being 
woven  round  him. 

"You  scoundrel!"  Hodge  was  panting.  "I'll  choke 
the  black  heart  out  of  you!" 


A  Visit  to  Dade  Morgan.  55 

Merriwell  quietly  closed  and  locked  the  door,  to 
shut  out  from  the  other  rooms  the  sounds  of  the 
struggle.  Then  he  turned  to  the  combatants. 

Hodge  was  not  having  it  all  his  own  way.  Dade 
had  hurled  Bart  aside,  pushed  back  the  outstretched 
hand,  and,  with  his  fingers  in  Bart's  hair,  was  forcing 
back  his  head. 

The  freshman  was  a  fighter.  He  planted  a  blow 
on  Bart's  cheek  that  brought  a  red  welt.  Then  he 
broke  from  Hodge's  grasp  and  backed  into  a  corner 
of  the  room.  Here  he  put  his  back  against  the  wall, 
lifted  his  hands  in  a  defensive  attitude,  and  called  to 
Hodge  to  "come  on." 

There  was  a  sound  of  hurrying  feet  in  the  outer 
hall,  together  with  cries  and  calls.  Frank  heard  the 
iword  "Proctor."  He  did  not  want  Hodge  to  be 
'found  fighting  with  the  freshman,  and,  with  a  leap, 
he  put  himself  between  the  belligerents. 

"Drop  it!"  he  commanded.  "This  thing  must  not 
go  on.  Drop  it  right  here  and  now!" 

The  words  were  quietly  spoken,  but  there  was  deep 
meaning  in  them.  Hodge  drew  himself  up  with  an 
effort. 

"He  began  it,  Merry!  I  don't  care  a  fig  for  the 
authorities.  Let  me  get  at  him!" 

"Drop  it!"  Merriwell  commanded;  and  Hodge, 
picking  up  his  cap,  turned  sullenly  toward  the  door, 
that  red  welt  showing  plainly  on  his  face. 


56  A  Visit  to  Dade  Morgan. 

"I'll  see  you  again!"  he  growled,  turning  to  Dade 
Morgan.  "Then  we'll  settle  this  thing." 

"Any  time  and  place  you  please!"  Dade  retorted, 
with  a  cold,  taunting  smile. 

A  rap  sounded  on  the  door.  Frank  opened  it.  The 
man  outside  bowed  and  smiled  when  he  saw  Mer- 
riwell. 

"Anything  wrong  in  here,  Mr.  Merriwell?"  he 
asked. 

Frank  answered  the  question,  Yankeelike,  by  asking 
another : 

"What's  the  row?" 

"There  were  sounds  of  fighting  along  here  some- 
where." 

"Well,  I  haven't  been  fighting,  as  you  can  see!" 

"Certainly  not.  I  didn't  suppose  that  you  had,  Mr. 
Merriwell.  I  beg  pardon  for  interrupting  you.  But 
it  was  along  here  somewhere." 

Then  he  bowed  apologetically  to  the  famous  senior 
and  went  on  his  way,  searching  for  the  culprits. 
Frank  turned  back  to  Dade  Morgan.  There  was  no 
further  use  to  disguise  the  cause  of  his  visit  to  the 
room. 

"Mr.  Morgan,  my  father  is  missing  from  his  hotel 
and  from  the  city.  You  know  what  stories  you  have 
been  telling." 

"They're  all  true!"  Dade  hotly  declared. 

"Pardon  me,  if  I  tell  you  that  you  lie!" 


A  Visit  to  Dade  Morgan.  57 

Dade  had  tried  to  coax  the  smile  back  to  his  face, 
but  now  his  cheeks  flamed.  He  wanted  to  launch 
himself  at  Merri well's  head,  but  he  did  not  dare. 

"I  know  nothing  about  your  father,  more  than  I've 
told,  and  if  I  did  I  should  refuse  to  tell  you." 

"Oh,  I've  got  to  get  at  him,  Merry!"  Hodge  panted. 

Merriwell  pushed  his  friend  back. 

"There's  no  friendship  lost  between  you  and  me, 
Merriwell!"  said  Dade.  "You  know  that,  even  if  I 
am  only  a  freshman  and  you  a  senior.  I've  set  out  to 
down  you,  and  I'll  do  it.  Put  that  in  your  pipe  and 
smoke  it !" 

He  was  white  now  and  shaking  like  a  leaf,  yet  he 
was  still  defiant  and  courageous.  He  looked  like  a 
stag  at  bay.  Frank  saw  that  it  was  a  mere  waste  of 
breath  to  try  to  extract  anything  from  him.  Choking 
and  blows  would  not  have  dragged  from  Dade  Mor- 
gan's breast  any  of  its  secrets. 

"The  next  time  Hodge  goes  at  you  I  hope  it  will 
not  be  necessary  for  me  to  interfere,"  said  Frank 
grimly. 

He  turned  toward  the  door. 

"I  don't  want  you  to  interfere.  If  he  ever  tackles 
me  again  I'll  teach  him  a  lesson  that  he'll  never 
forget." 

"Bah!"  Hodge  sneered. 

Merriwell  was  unlocking  the  door.  Hodge  stopped 
as  if  he  still  had  a  thought  of  going  back  and  trying 


58  A  Visit  to  Dade  Morgan. 

conclusions  with  Morgan.  But  Frank  pulled  him 
through  the  doorway. 

"Come  on,"  he  said.  "I've  other  work  to  do  to- 
night. We  don't  want  to  have  the  room  raided  while 
we're  here.  Cork  up,  and  come  on!" 

"You  allowed  him  to  defeat  you!"  Hodge  grum- 
bled as  he  followed  Frank  from  the  building. 

"He  hasn't  defeated  me.  I  shall  strike  in  another 
direction.  I  must  have  time  to  think.  There's  no 
use  following  a  trail  when  there's  nothing  at  the  end 
of  it,  merely  to  gratify  a  desire  for  revenge.  I've 
other  plans  to  work  to-night.  If  he  feels  that  he  has 
defeated  me,  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  him  think  so." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN    THE    HANDS   OF    HAZERS. 

Jack  Ready  hopped  into  the  rooms  occupied  by  Diet! 
Starbright  and  Bert  Dashleigh. 

"Say,  fellows,"  he  chirped  airily,  blowing  out  his 
cheeks,  "if  you  want  to  see  something  that's  more  fun 
than  a  dog  fight,  just  chase  your  faces  down  to  tha, 
front  entrance." 

The  hour  was  late,  and  Starbright  had  been  on  the 
point  of  retiring.  Dashleigh  jumped  up  to  follow 
Ready.  Dick  opened  his  window  and  looked  out. 
The  moon  was  shining  brightly  and  the  night  was 
still,  except  for  such  sounds  as  were  made  by  various/ 
groups  of  rollicking  students. 

"What's  the  row?"  he  asked. 

Dashleigh  was  following  Ready  along  the  hall,  and 
Dick  now  chased  unsuspectingly  after  him. 

He  did  not  once  think  of  hazers.  Continued  se- 
curity had  caused  a  lack  of  caution,  and,  besides, 
knowing  that  Ready  was  a  particular  friend  of  Frank 
Merriwell,  he  expected  no  hazing  trick  from  the 
apple-cheeked  sophomore,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  sophomores  are  the  sworn  enemies  of  new] 
freshmen. 

When  he  reached  the  entrance  he  was  unceremoni- 
ously picked  up  in  the  arms  of  a  half-dozen  stalwart 


60  In  the  Hands  of  Hazers. 

sophomores,  among  whom  he  recognized  Ralph  Bing- 
ham.  Dashleigh  was  already  in  the  toils  and  had 
ceased  to  struggle.  Dick  looked  round  on  this  sopho- 
more contingent,  as  he  felt  himself  caught  up. 

"Gentlemen !"  he  drawled,  assuming  an  imperturba- 
ble manner.  "I  learned  to  walk  a  long  time  ago. 
There  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  particular  necessity  for 
carrying  me." 

His  coolness  struck  the  sophomores  favorably. 

"If  you'll  go  along  peaceably,  we'll  let  you  down!" 
-said  Bingham. 

"Use  him  tenderly,  for  he's  my — friend!"  said 
Ready.  "Don't  jab  pins  into  him,  gentlemen!  For 
pity's  sake,  don't !  Observe  the  proprieties  and  it  will 
{make  you  feel  bigger  than  other  people.  Yea,  verily !" 

Dashleigh  appeared  to  be  inclined  to  make  a  strug- 
gle. Dick  gave  him  a  word  of  advice : 

"No  use  rowing!  If  there's  any  medicine  to  take, 
take  it  and  have  done  with  it." 

They  had  talked  this  matter  over  in  their  first  days 
at  Yale  and  reached  the  conclusion  that  if  they  were 
caught  by  the  sophomores  the  best  thing  was  to  sub- 
mit as  gracefully  as  possible  and  implicitly  obey  all 
orders,  no  matter  how  ridiculous.  And  really  this  is 
the  only  way  to  escape  severe  hazing. 

Another  party  of  sophomores  had  approached  the 
freshman  boarding-house  occupied  by  Dade  Morgan. 

"You  can't  come  in !"  the  landlady  declared.     "It's 


In  the  Hands  of  Hazers.  61 

a  perfect  shame  the  way  you  soph'more  fellers  bam- 
boozle the  poor  freshmen!" 

With  this  she  unceremoniously  slammed  the  door  in 
their  faces.  Only  a  few  moments  later  she  came  run- 
ning out  of  the  house,  shrieking. 

"I'll  have  the  police  on  yer !  Come  down  from  that 
ladder  in  a  minute,  or  I'll  pull  it  out  from  under  yer!" 

At  the  top  of  the  long  ladder,  which  reached  up  to 
Dade  Morgan's  room,  were  two  strong  sophomores, 
who  had  unceremoniously  invaded  the  premises 
through  the  window. 

"Madam,"  said  a  calm  voice  from  the  top  of  the. 
ladder,  "there  is  no  necessity  for  such  exuberance  on 
your  part.  Kindly  let  go  of  the  ladder  or  I'll  drop  on 
you!" 

"Sarah!  Sarah!"  she  screeched,  looking  toward  the 
entrance.  "There  goes  two  more  of  the  rapscallions 
inter  the  front  door." 

More  than  two  went  in,  and  the  irate  landlady 
frantically  gathered  up  her  skirts  and  sprinted  for  the 
front  stoop,  wildly  declaring  that  she  would  call  the 
police. 

With  sophomore  foes  to  the  front  of  him  and1 
sophomore  foes  to  the  rear,  and  more  coming,  Dade 
Morgan  wisely  decided  that  it  was  useless  to  kick,  and 
he  calmly  prepared  to  submit. 

The  landlady  was  telephoning  for  the  police,  shriek- 


62  In  the  Hands  of  Hazers. 

ing  her  woes  into  the  instrument  in  so  frantic  a  way 
that  a  whole  platoon  of  the  blue-coated  gentry  hur- 
ried to  the  scene;  but  like  every  other  well-conducted 
organization  of  the  kind,  they  arrived  when  every- 
thing was  quiet  again,  and  the  freshman,  sophomores, 
and  ladder  were  all  gone.  When  they  understood,  the 
guardians  of  the  peace  smiled  at  the  woman's  woes. 

"They  may  git  kilt!"  she  sobbed.  "Yer  never  kin 
tell  what  them  college  fools  will  do." 

"I  guess  he'll  not  be  so  much  killed  but  that  his 
room  rent  will  go  on,"  was  the  answer. 

Two  other  freshmen,  big  Hawaiians,  whose  room 
had  been  invaded,  put  up  a  stiff  fight  before  they 
yielded,  and,  as  a  consequence,  had  scored  up  two 
sophomoric  black  eyes.  This  was  a  heavy  tally,  and 
had  their  youth  been  brought  up  in  regions  less  re- 
mote from  civilization  they  would  have  known  that 
to  inflict  such  injury  was  only  to  punish  themselves 
with  tenfold  severity. 

In  this  way  a  press-gang  of  thirty  or  more  fresh- 
men was  gathered  under  the  glare  of  an  arc  light  on 
the  green.  They  were  a  fantastic  and  unique  com- 
pany, and  they  made  a  sorry  spectacle,  with  their 
coats  turned  inside  out  and  their  trousers  rolled  up  to 
the  knee.  Each  of  them  was  armed  with  a  broom, 
which  he  was  required  to  handle  as  if  it  were  an  army 
rifle. 

The  sophomores  who   formed  the  escort  of  this 


In  the  Hands  of  Mazers.  63 

meek  and  grotesque  array  were  congratulating  them- 
selves on  the  splendid  round-up  of  the  evening.  Not 
for  a  long  time  had  such  a  number  of  freshmen  been 
beguiled  from  their  rooms  to  undergo  the  trials  that 
were  about  to  be  put  on  them. 

As  the  freshmen  were  being  lined  up  and  set  in 
marching  order,  Frank  Merriwell  appeared  on  the 
scene.  Some  of  the  sophomores  were  disguised  in 
various  fanciful  ways,  and  among  these,  Frank,  also 
disguised,  smuggled  himself.  He  smiled  in  a  grim 
and  mysterious  way  when  he  beheld  Dade  Morgan. 
He  had  a  little  plan  to  trip  Dade  Morgan,  and  he  was 
there  to  work  it  out. 

Frank's  influence  as  a  senior  and  popular  Yale  man 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  bring  about  Dade's  re- 
lease from  the  toils  qf  the  sophomores.  But  Frank 
did  not  want  that. 

"Hep!  hep!  hep!  Company — halt!  Parade — * 
rest!  No  levity,  freshmen;  no  levity!" 

The  entire  sophomore  class  had  gathered  on  the 
green  to  witness  the  public  humiliation  of  the  fresh- 
men, and  a  swarming  rabble  of  Townies  was  there  for 
the  same  purpose. 

Merriwell  recognized  the  big  sophomore  who  was 
shouting  the  orders  as  Ralph  Bingham.  In  fact,  Bing- 
ham  seemed  to  be  the  leading  spirit  of  the  inquisition, 
for  such  was  the  character  this  demonstration  was 
soon  to  assume. 


64  In  the  Hands  of  Hazers. 

"Company,  'tention!"  Bingham  shouted.  "Line  up 
for  inspection!  Carry — arms!" 

The  fun  had  begun. 

The  freshmen  fell  into  a  long  line  on  the  asphalt 
walk  and  "carried  arms"  at  such  various  angles  that 
the  whole  row  presented  a  ridiculous  rear  view  of 
white  legs,  variegated  backs,  and  bristling  broom- 
heads. 

Bingham,  as  drill-master,  had  many  lieutenants,  all 
armed  with  keen  switches,  and  he  and  his  lieutenants 
were  literally  whipping  the  freshmen  into  line. 

"Stand  up  straight !  Bunch  up !  Head  erect !  Eyes 
to  the  front !" 

Swish!  swish!  swish!  went  the  switches. 

"Wow!"  Dashleigh  exclaimed,  as  the  switches  cut 
his  legs. 

"No  levity,  freshman!" 

Swish!  swish!  swish! 

"Wipe  off  that  smile!" 

This  to  Dade  Morgan,  who  was  still  putting  into 
practise  his  belief  that  "a  man  may  smile,  and  smile, 
and  be  a  villain  still." 

"Trim  down  those  piano  legs." 

"I'll  trim  you  down !"  was  shouted  back. 

Swish!  swish!  the  switches  fell  on  the  "piano  legs," 
making  the  owner  dance  a  hornpipe. 

"No  back  talk,  fresh !  If  it  hurts,  that's  what  it's 
meant  for." 


In  the  Hands  of  Hazers.  65 

Dick  Starbright  and  Bert  Dashleigh,  near  the  center 
of  the  line,  were  hopping  up  and  down  like  chickens 
on  hot  coals,  but  Dick  knew  enough  not  to  use  any 
"back  talk." 

The  two  big  Hawaimns  near  the  head  of  the  line 
were  being  unmercifully  castigated.  They  were  boil- 
ing mad.  They  wanted  to  fight,  and  would  have  done 
so  if  the  sophomores  had  not  been  round  them  in  over- 
powering numbers. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Bingham,  when  the  line  had 
been  switched  into  some  sort  of  shape,  "this  is  a  very 
pleasant  occasion.  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  say 
that  it  has  never  before  been  my  privilege  to  look  upon 
such  a  mean,  raw-boned,  poorly-developed,  knock- 
kneed,  scared-to-death  aggregation  of  freshmen !" 

Bingham's  speech  was  punctuated  with  howls  from 
the  sophomores  of  "Footless  freshmen!"  "Rotten!" 
"Pie-eyed!"  "Dopes!"  and  similar  uncomplimentary 
things.  The  freshmen  moved  restlessly  under  these 
epithets,  and  one  of  the  Hawaiians  audibly  growled 
his  resentment. 

"Give  'im  another  for  me!"  ordered  the  sophomore 
whose  nose  had  been  hammered  by  the  Hawaiian. 

Swish ! 

The  Hawaiian  got  it  and  took  it  with  wrath  at  the 
boiling  point. 

"Yes,  gentlemen,  you  are  a  lovely  set!"  continued 
Bingham.  "And  now  we,  are  ready  to  proceed  with 


66  In  the  Hands  of  Hazers. 

the  physical  examinations.  If  the  surgeons  have  their 
knives  in  readiness " 

Shouts  of  "Fruit!  fruit!"  interrupted  him. 

"Exactly!"  assented  Bingham.  "We  are  now  about 
to  operate  on  and  remove  the  'appendix  togae,'  popu- 
larly known  as  the  'fruit.'  The  results  of  these  several 
operations  will  be  sold  at  auction  sale  at  64  Vanderbilt 
to-morrow  afternoon,  the  object  being  to  make  this 
'fruiting'  as  systematic  as  possible." 

Two  sophomores  came  up  behind  the  Hawaiian, 
while  Bingham  and  four  others  approached  the  head 
of  the  line.  One  of  the  sophomores  carried  an  opened 
penknife  in  his  hand,  and  he  thus  addressed  the  big 
Pacific  Islander: 

"Does  your  mouth  trouble  you  while  eating?" 

"No!"  angrily. 

Thump!  thumpf 

The  two  sophomores  behind  the  Hawaiian  brought 
their  knees  up  against  him  with  jarring  force. 

"No,  what?"  demanded  the  man  with  the  knife. 

"No,  it  doesn't " 

Thump ! 

"Trouble  me " 

Thump ! 

"My  mouth!" 

The  confused  freshman  stammered  and  gulped,  for 
at  almost  every  word  those  jarring  knees  came  up 
against  him. 


In  the  Hands  of  Hazers.  67 

"One  moment,  if  you  please,  surgeon,"  interposed 
Bingham.  "I  don't  think  the  gentleman  understands 
the  question.  Freshman,  will  you  listen  carefully  to 
what  I  say?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Hawaiian. 

Thump !  thump ! 

"Yes,  what?"  demanded  Bingham. 

"Yes,  I'll  listen  carefully!" 

Thump !  thump ! 

"You  are  very  stupid,"  said  Bingham,  with  con- 
descension. "But  try  to  open  the  avenues  of  your  in- 
tellect to  my  words  while  I  tell  you  that  it  is  cus- 
tomary when  addressing  an  upper  classman  to  say 
'sir.'  " 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  the  Hawaiian. 

Thump!  thump!  "Oh,  what?"  shouted  the  man 
with  the  knife. 

"Oh,  sir!" 

"Right!"  cried  Bingham. 

"Have  you  heart  disease?"  asked  the  surgeon. 

"No,  sir!" 

"Ever  been  in  Philadelphia?" 

"No,  sir!" 

"Then  let  the  operation  proceed!" 

Two  sophomores  held  the  big  fellow's  arms,  and 
another  seized  the  tag  at  the  end  of  his  shirt  bosom, 
which  appendage  bears  the  name  of  "fruit,"  and  this 
the  man  with  the  knife  deftly  removed. 


68  In  the  Hands  of  Hazers. 

"Now,"  said  Bingham,  who  wanted  to  humiliate 
the  big  fellow  all  he  could  for  what  he  had  done,  "be- 
ing a  prominent  man,  we  desire  people  to  know  who 
you  are.  Put  your  arms  about  yonder  light-pole  and 
continue  to  call  as  loud  as  you  can,  'I  am  a  greasy 
Kannaca!'  Do  you  understand?" 

"Yes — yes,  sir!"  said  the  subdued  Hawaiian,  who 
proceeded  to  follow  out  his  instructions,  while  the 
ministers  of  the  inquisition  passed  down  the  entire 
line,  removing  the  fruits  as  they  went. 

Starbright  and  Dashleigh  let  them  take  away  the 
tags  bearing  their  initials  without  a  word  of  protest. 
It  was  better  so.  The  work  occupied  some  minutes, 
but  all  this  time  the  big  Hawaiian  clinging  to  the  elec- 
tric-light pole  was  shouting  with  the  best  power  of  his 
lungs : 

"I  am  a  greasy  Kannaca !    I  am  a  greasy  Kannaca !" 

If  he  paused  for  a  moment  he  was  urged  to  it  again 
by  hissing  switches,  which  played  familiarly  about  his 
calves.  Truly  enough,  he  was  paying  dearly  for  those 
blackened  sophomore  optics  and  bleeding  proboscis. 

Finally,  the  public  humiliation  being  completed,  the 
freshmen  were  turned  into  regimental  columns  of 
fours. 

"Carry  arms!  For-ward  march!"  shouted  Bing- 
ham, and  the  freshmen  began  to  move  on  to  further 
troubles,  with  the  great  crowd  of  "muckers,"  which 
had  gathered  to  watch  the  proceedings,  following  and 


In  the  Hands  of  Hazers.  69 

surrounding  the  dejected  and  ridiculous-looking  com- 
pany amid  hoots  and  yells. 

"Hep!  hep!  hep!" 

The  freshmen  were  marched  from  the  green  and 
gyrated  up  Elm  Street  toward  "Billie's." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
HAZING   AT   BILLIE'S.. 

The  indignity  which  was  thus  being  thrust  upon  the 
freshmen  was  the  relic  of  a  barbarous  form  of  hazing, 
which  has  been  so  ceaselessly  agitated  and  legislated 
against  that  it  has  fallen  into  disrepute  and  disuse. 

Hazing  as  practised  in  the  past  has  completely  un- 
nerved many  a  strong  man  and  has  not  infrequently 
terminated  in  violent  death.  Nevertheless,  when  the 
jolly  old  grayhead  of  'umpty-eight  returns  to  see  the 
old  place  again  and  there  falls  in  with  the  jovial  old 
fellow  of  'umpty-nine,  they  will  laugh  over  their  Toby 
at  Morey's,  or  their  Musty  at  "Heibs,"  as  they  recall 
the  wild,  rollicking  history  of  the  days  that  were  truly 
hazing  days — a  history  that  contains  many  bits  of 
humorous,  startling,  and  grave  story. 

Mounting  the  steps  of  the  low  frame  building,  Bing- 
ham  swung  back  the  door  and  disclosed  the  interior. 


Hazing  at  Billie's.  71 

A  narrow,  low-ceilinged  room  whose  mural  decoration 
consists  of  red  and  yellow  cuts  depicting  pugilistic 
champions  and  scantily  appareled  histrionic  beauties. 
The  ceiling  is  dingy  and  dark. 

Dividing  this  room  in  half  runs  a  long  maltreated 
bar,  over  which  a  single  light  burns  in  a  red  globe. 
Opening  at  the  rear  are  several  doors  which  lead  into 
a  maze  of  little  rooms. 

Behind  the  bar,  with  his  back  leaning  against  the 
bottle-shelves,  stood  the  little  man  of  the  place,  with 
his  sleeves  rolled  to  his  elbows  and  his  round  stomach, 
covered  with  a  spotless  white  apron,  resting  against 
the  inner  rail  of  the  bar.  He  was  a  jovial  little  fellow, 
smiling  genially  and  constantly,  with  a  head  profanely 
called  "the  human  billiard-ball,"  shining  merrily  be- 
neath the  red  globe. 

Bingham  held  the  door  open,  and  the  sophomores 
and  freshmen  began  to  pour  into  the  room,  which  was 
reeking  with  fumes  of  liquor  and  tobacco. 

"Line  up,  freshmen!"  shouted  Bingham.  The 
freshmen  wheeled  into  crowded  line,  broomsticks  and 
all,  to  face  the  broadly-smiling  Billie. 

"Billie,"  said  Bingham,  "the  honor,  sir,  has  de- 
volved upon  me  to  introduce  to  your  excellent  notice 
this  congregation  of  pusillanimous  warts,  representing 
the  freshman  class." 

Billie  smiled  till  the  smile  became  a  grin. 


72  Hazing  at  Billie's. 

"Freshmen,"  commanded  Bingham,  "bow  to  this 
august  gentleman!" 

The  freshmen,  broomsticks  and  all,  bent  forward 
in  a  ludicrous  salaam.  , 

"Freshmen,"  continued  Bingham,  "this  is  honest 
Billie.  If  there  is  one  thing  he  longs  for  more  than 
your  happiness  it  is  your  money." 

Merriwell  was  closely  watching  Dade  Morgan.  The 
crowd  began  to  surge  back  through  the  little  rooms, 
with  Frank  close  to  Dade,  and  soon  they  reached  a 
wide  open  space,  covered  by  a  canvas  roof,  beneath 
which  ran  a  long  line  of  heavy  tables. 

In  a  moment  this  summer-garden  was  filled  to  its 
limits.  Bingham  stood  up  on  one  of  the  tables  and 
addressed  the  freshmen,  saying  that,  as  it  would 
shortly  be  their  duty  to  uphold  the  honor  of  the  uni- 
versity on  the  water,  they  were  therefore  about  to  re- 
ceive some  instructions  in  this  noble  sport. 

Eight  freshmen,  among  them  Dade  Morgan,  Dick 
Starbright,  and  the  big  Hawaiian,  were  now  seized 
and  set  astride  the  long  tables  and  made  to  use  their 
brooms  in  the  manner  of  oars.  Dick  had  the  position 
of  "stroke,"  while  the  Hawaiian  was  set  to  coxswain 
the  unhappy  crew. 

"Now,  fresh,  ready,  row!" 

The  freshmen  began  to  swing  their  bodies  and  arms 
furiously,  sweeping  the  eight  brooms  with  vigor 


Hazing  at  Billie's.  73 

through  the  empty  air.  Immediately  cries  of  derision 
filled  the  tent. 

"Coach  there !  Give  the  time !"  commanded  a  num- 
ber of  sophomores,  speaking  to  and  crowding  about 
the  big  coxswain. 

"Hi,  whoop!"  cried  the  unlucky  Pacific  Islander. 

Thump!  whack!  whack! 

"Hi,  whoop  what?"  they  yelled,  beating  him  lustily 
about  the  shoulders. 

"Hi,  whoop,  sir !  Hi,  whoop,  sir !  Hi,  whoop,  sir !" 
sang  the  miserable  Hawaiian,  swinging  his  body  in 
time  with  the  crew  till  the  perspiration  stood  out  on  his 
brow  in  great  beads. 

Then  came  admonitions  from  the  coaching  line. 

"Steady,  7!" 

"Don't  rush  that  slide,  4!" 

"Quicker  on  the  catch,  2 !" 

"Leave  a  little  water  in  the  pond,  6!" 

"No  bucking  there,  stroke!" 

"Whoop,  now,  all  together!" 

And  all  the  while  the  freshmen  swung  to  their  work 
with  enough  energy  to  send  a  boat  flying  over  a  course. 

"Now,"  shouted  Bingham,  "we  are  ready  for  the 
great  four-mile  race  with  Harvard.  Freshmen,  upon 
your  right  is  the  Harvard  crew  waiting  for  the  signal. 
The  word  'go'  releases  you  both,  and  the  honor  of 
Yale  hangs  upon  your  efforts."  The  freshmen  bent 


74  Hazing  at  Billie's. 

forward  for  the  catch.  The  crowd  waited  in  breathless 
suspense. 

"Go!"  cried  Bingham. 

Back  swung  the  freshmen,  forward  swept  the 
brooms.  Cries,  yells,  and  howls  rose  from  the  spec- 
tators. Many  of  the  sophomores  stood  on  chairs, 
waving  their  hats  and  yelling  encouragement  to  the 
laboring  crew. 

"Hi,  whoop,,  sir!  Hi,  whoop,  sir!"  sang  the  Ha- 
waiian. 

"Go  it !  Hit  it  up.  You're  gaining.  You're  ahead ! 
Go  it!  Go  it!"  cried  the  crowd  in  a  frenzy,  as  the 
crew  was  rowing  its  phantom  course  so  fast  and  furi- 
ously that  the  entire  summer-garden  trembled  and 
strained  on  its  foundations.  Suddenly  the  sophomores 
bawled  into  the  boating-song : 

"And  if  it's  a  girl,  sir, 

I'll  dress  her  up  in  blue, 
And  send  her  out  to  Saultenstall 

To  coach  the  freshmen  crew. 
And  if  it  is  a  boy,  sir, 

I'll  put  him  on  the  crew, 
And  he  shall  wax  the  Harvards, 

As  his  daddy  used  to  do ! 

CHORUS  : 

"I'm  a  son  of  a,  son  of  a,  son  of  a, 

Son  of  a  gambolier; 
I'm  a  son  of  a,  son  of  a,  son  of  a, 

Son  of  a  gambolier. 
Like  every  honest  fellow, 

I  take  my  whisky  clear; 
I'm  a  rambling  rake  of  poverty, 

A  son  of  a  gambolier." 


Hazing  at  Billie's.  75 

"One-half  mile  from  the  finishing-line!"  howled 
Bingham,  swinging  his  arms  wildly  about  his  head. 
"Pick  up  your  stroke  now.  Hit  her  up!  Make  the 
water  boil!  You're  gaining!  You're  ahead!  One 
scant  length !  Hold  your  stroke.  Steady.  Yale !  Yale ! 
Pump  your  very  hearts  out!  Still  gaining!  Full 
length !  Length  and  a  half !  Magnificent  spurt !  Oh, 
you're  beauties!  You've  got  'em  going!  They're 
cracking!  There's  the  flag!  Just  a  little  further! 
Give  it  to  her,  my  hearties!  Go  over  the  line  like 
heroes!  Don't  break  now!  Not  a  crack!  Steady! 
Throw  her  over  the  line  with  a  jump!  Splendid! 
Once  more  altogether  now  for  old  Yale !  You've  done 
it!  Yale  wins  by  two  and  one-half  lengths!" 

The  speaker  ceased. 

Panting  from  their  violent  exertions,  the  freshmen 
came  to  rest  on  their  ungainly  oars.  The  crowd  had 
increased  its  uproar  tenfold.  All  the  previous  noise 
was  but  the  dinning  of  a  tin  horn  compared  to  this 
stentorian  outburst. 

A  rush  was  made  for  the  victorious  crew.  Each 
was  dragged  from  the  table  and  congratulations  were 
rained,  poured,  thumped,  and  pounded  upon  him  till 
he  staggered  about  like  a  drunken  man.  Especially 
did  the  Hawaiian  seem  a  mark  for  these  muscular  con- 
gratulations, for  his  admirers,  not  satisfied  with  slap- 
ping him  on  the  back,  drove  home  their  appreciation 
with  closed  fist  and  shoe-toe. 


76  Hazing  at  Billie's. 

The  hazing  had  not  ended,  however.  When  the 
cheering  and  noise  had  subsided  Bingham  clapped  his 
hands  as  a  signal,  and  two  sophomores  appeared  bear- 
ing an  oak  board  with  keen  knives  set  in  it,  points 
upward. 

The  freshmen  looked  at  the  ominous  thing  with  a 
shiver,  for  they  heard  the  sophomores  whispering  that 
the  freshmen  were  to  be  made  to  leap  on  these  knives 
with  their  bare  feet. 

Starbright,  Bade  Morgan  and  other  freshmen  se- 
lected for  this  trial  were  hurried  away,  and  the  big 
Hawaiian,  against  whom  the  efforts  of  the  sopho- 
mores seemed  to  be  now  principally  directed,  was 
commanded  to  remove  his  shoes  and  stockings. 

He  seemed  about  to  rebel,  as  he  looked  at  the  shi- 
ning knives  in  their  cruel  array.  Other  freshmen  were 
hurried  away,  and  the  sophomores  crowded  round  the 
board  with  the  knives  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
the  freshmen  from  seeing  what  was  about  to  be  done. 

Looking  at  the  Sandwich  Islander,  Frank  saw  that 
his  yellow  face  was  covered  with  perspiration,  and 
that  his  eyes  held  a  hunted  and  distressed  look. 

Suddenly  Frank  stripped  away  his  disguise,  bring- 
ing wondering  cries  from  the  crowd,  for  his  presence 
had  up  to  that  moment  been  unsuspected. 

"Fellows !    You've  gone  far  enough  with  this  chap." 

The  sophomores  fell  back  when  they  beheld  the  face 
of  Merriwell,  the  senior.  They  stood  in  awe  of  all 


Hazing  at  Billie's.  77 

seniors,  but  more  in  awe  of  Merriwell.  Even  those 
who  had  been  arrayed  in  opposition  to  Frank  through 
the  machinations  of  Dade  Morgan,  felt  the  influence 
of  his  presence,  and  not  for  a  moment  did  one  of  them 
think  of  disobeying  him,  save  Jack  Ready. 

"Oh,  I  say,  Merry!  Let's  have  this  thing.  We 
want  to  prove  his  courage.  It  takes  courage  for  a 
man  to  jump  barefooted  on  those  knives.  I  don't  be- 
lieve the  Kannaca  will  do  it.  If  he  does,  he  will  prove 
himself  to  have  the  heart  of  a  knight  of  old." 

"Let  the  Hawaiian  go,  and  bring  on  some  other 
fellow!" 

The  Sandwich  Islander  gave  Frank  a  grateful  look. 
He  was  a  man  who  would  remember  such  a  favor. 
Instantly  there  arose  a  cry  for  Dick  Starbright.  And 
Starbright  was  brought  forward,  while  the  Hawaiian, 
once  more  breathing  easily,  was  pushed  back  and  or- 
dered to  "rehabilitate  his  corns !" 

Frank  looked  into  Dick's  face  as  the  big  freshman 
came  forward.  He  saw  Dick  glance  unquailingly  at 
the  knives,  as  he  was  instructed  to  bare  his  feet  and 
get  ready  to  jump  on  them.  The  board  with  the 
knives  was  also  given  him  to  examine,  that  he  might 
be  sure  they  were  real  knives  and  their  points  sharp. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  they  were  all  of  shi- 
ning cold  steel,  with  points  like  needles. 

But  Starbright  stripped  off  his  shoes.  Again  the 
sophomores  crowded  round,  for  the  apparent  purpose 


78  Hazing  at  Billie's. 

of  hiding  the  performance  from  the  other  freshmen 
who  might  be  called  to  undergo  the  same  ordeal  later, 
and  therefore  should  be  kept  in  ignorance  concern- 
ing it. 

A  stool  was  brought  for  Dick  to  stand  on  in  taking 
the  leap.  He  mounted  this  as  requested.  There  was 
a  deep  silence — the  silence  that  seems  to  precede  a 
tragedy.  Frank  caught  Starbright's  eyes.  They  were 
clear  and  calm. 

"The  fellow  has  infinite  nerve!"  was  his  thought. 
"He  will  make  the  jump!" 

"Freshman,"  said  Bingham,  again  assuming  au- 
thority, "you  will  proceed  to  jump  with  your  bare  feet 
upon  those  knives.  You  have  seen  that  they  are  sharp. 
This  is  a  test  of  freshman  courage.  If  you  fail  in 
this  ordeal  we  will  know  that  you  are  a  craven.  Fresh- 
man, jump!" 

Without  an  instant's  hesitation  Starbright  jumped 
straight  out  from  the  stool  in  his  bare  feet  and  de- 
scended on  the  murderous-looking  oaken  board.  A 
groan  went  up  from  some  of  the  spectators  who  still 
believed  the  knives  what  they  seemed. 

But  Starbright's  feet  struck  nothing  more  danger- 
ous than  knives  of  rubber,  which  bent  under  the  pres- 
sure and  inflicted  no  wound.  Frank  pushed  forward 
and  took  the  big  freshman  by  the  hand. 

"Did  you  know  what  they  were?"  he  asked.     "Did 


Hazing  at  Billie's.  79 

you  see  the  sophomores  change  the  board  with  the  real 
knives  for  this  one?" 

"No,"  Dick  answered,  "but  I  was  dead  sure  that 
there  was  a  trick  somewhere,  for  no  men  in  their 
senses  would  ask  any  one  to  jump  with  bare  feet  on 
real  knives.  So  I  jumped !" 

Others  were  called  on  to  undergo  this  ordeal;  but 
many  of  them  quailed  and  refused  to  do  so,  and,  when 
that  occurred,  the  offender  was  picked  up  bodily  and 
jammed  down  on  the  dangerous-looking  knives.  More 
than  one  of  the  freshmen  shrieked  with  fear  when 
thus  forced  to  sit  down  on  the  rubber  knives. 

Again  there  were  shouts  for  the  Hawaiian,  followed 
by  a  rush  for  him.  But  Frank  once  more  interposed, 
for  he  saw  that  the  nerves  of  the  big  fellow  were  so 
badly  shaken  that  it  was  worse  than  cruelty  to  force 
him  further. 

Then  there  was  a  bustling  about,  and  excited  whis- 
perings. Frank  put  up  a  hand  and  called  for  attention. 

"The  hazing  has  gone  far  enough  to-night !"  he  de- 
clared. 

"But  we've  got  a  whole  lot  of  hair-raisers  left  in 
store!"  Jack  Ready  howled.  "Why,  we  haven't  be- 
gun !  We've  some  other  things  stowed  back  here  that 
will  make  those  knives  lose  their  glitter." 

But  Frank  Merriwell  was  obdurate;  and  when  he 
said  positively  that  the  merriment  had  gone  far 
enough,  that  great  mob  of  sophomores,  who  could 


8o  Hazing  at  Billie's. 

have  ridden  over  him  and  done  as  they  pleased  by 
sheer  force  of  numbers,  meekly  yielded. 

Merriwell  had  said  it,  and  Merriwell's  word  was 
law  in  this  thing.  Not  even  his  enemies  offered  a 
word  of  protest,  but  meekly  submitted. 

Dade  Morgan  heard  the  outcry,  and  this  show  of 
Merriwell's  influence  and  mastery  was  almost  more 
than  he  could  bear.  He  had  fancied  that  he  was 
swinging  the  power  of  the  most  influential  of  the 
sophomores  against  Frank,  but  this  exhibition  taught 
him  his  error.  He  saw  that  Merriwell  was  the  same 
unsubdued,  conquering,  and  invincible  Merriwell  as  of 
old. 

"Well,  we  must  have  this  then!"  chattered  Ready, 
motioning  toward  Dade,  who,  held  far  in  the  rear,  had 
not  been  able  to  see  or  understand  the  trick  of  the 
rubber  knives.  The  sophomores  looked  at  Frank; 
and,  when  he  did  not  object,  a  half-dozen  of  them 
rushed  back  for  Dade,  pounced  on  him  and  dragged 
him  forward  for  the  knife  ordeal. 

At  this  moment  Frank  put  up  his  hands  in  a  peculiar 
way.  Then  Dade,  mounted  on  the  stool,  saw  a  form 
rise  up  from  the  midst  of  the  sophomores  opposite. 

It  was  the  form  and  face  of  Charles  Conrad  Merri- 
well. Dade  stared.  He  thought  Charles  Merriwell 
had  been  spirited  away.  But  he  showed  no  other  sign. 

Frank  was  watching  him  with  the  eye  of  an  eagle. 


Hazing  at  Billie's.  81 

"Not  the  guilty  one!"  he  murmured.  "Whoever 
did  it,  that  one  was  not  Dade  Morgan!" 

Dade  was  as  fearless  as  Dick  Starbright  and  took 
the  leap  upon  the  seeming  knives  without  a  shiver. 

Then  there  was  a  rush  for  the  outer  entrance. 
Frank  linked  his  arm  in  that  of  his  father  and  hur- 
ried out,  being  among  the  first  to  pass  through  the 
doorway. 

A  young  man  had  walked  stealthily  along  outside 
and  stopped  in  front  of  the  doorway,  where  he  stood, 
listening  to  the  sounds  within  and  furtively  watching 
those  who  came  out. 

When  he  saw  Charles  Merriwell,  with  his  remark- 
able face  and  snow-white  hair — a  face  that  could  not 
be  mistaken  anywhere — he  uttered  a  cry,  and  fell  back- 
ward. The  young  man  was  Morton  Agnew! 

Agnew  fancied  he  had  seen  the  ghost  of  Charles 
Conrad  Merriwell.  The  plot  hatched  in  the  brain  of 
the  mysterious  stranger,  Hector  King,  Agnew  had  in 
fact  sought  to  carry  out,  though  without  King's  knowl- 
edge or  the  connivance  or  knowledge  of  Dade  Mor- 
gan. 

King  had  planned  to  capture  Charles  Merriwell  in 
the  green  and  spirit  him  away,  but  had  been  baffled, 
for  the  reason  that  Merriwell  did  not  that  night  walk 
in  the  green.  He  sent  word  by  mail  to  Dade  of  his 
failure,  but  Dade  was  industriously  spreading  the 
story  when  the  letter  was  received. 


82  Hazing  at  Billie's. 

Morton  Agnew,  knowing  nothing  of  King's  plot, 
had  by  a  mere  chance  encountered  Charles  Merriwell 
walking  at  night  along  the  wharves.  With  the  assist- 
ance of  a  disreputable  sailor  who  was  in  his  pay,  he 
had  secured  Merriwell  and  put  him  in  a  rowboat, 
with  the  rather  wild  and  foolish  idea  that  he  could 
smuggle  him  aboard  the  Whippoonvill,  a  schooner 
lying  not  far  from  shore  with  sails  up  and  on  the  point 
of  sailing  for  the  Bermudas. 

But  Charles  Merriwell  had  struggled  so  much  that 
the  boat  was  upset  as  it  neared  the  schooner,  and  the 
entire  party  was  thrown  into  the  water. 

Agnew  had  seen  Charles  Merriwell,  with  hands 
bound,  sink,  as  he  believed,  to  a  watery  death. 

But  the  man  was  a  magnificent  swimmer,  and  man- 
aged to  reach  a  rowboat,  to  which  he  clung  while  the 
tide  carried  it  out  of  the  harbor.  His  cries  were  heard 
and  he  was  rescued  by  a  fishing-schooner. 

As  soon  as  he  arrived  in  New  Haven,  which  was 
the  next  night,  he  had  communicated  with  Frank. 

What  followed  was  largely  of  Frank's  planning. 
Knowing  from  Ready  that  Dade  Morgan  was  to  be 
hazed,  Frank  planned  to  have  his  father  appear  be- 
fore Morgan  in  that  spectacular  way,  believing  that 
Morgan  would  not  be  able  to  conceal  a  show  of  fear 
if  he  were  guilty. 

He  knew  now  that  Dade  Morgan,  whatever  else  he 
had  done,  was  at  least  innocent  of  this.  Agnew  was 


Hazing  at  Billie's.  83 

the  guilty  man.  But  Frank  was  not  at  once  able  to 
punish  the  rascal,  whom  he  had  driven  out  of  Yale  the 
previous  year,  and  whose  undying  enmity  he  had 
earned  in  consequence. 

He  sought  to  lay  hands  on  him,  but,  even  while  ut- 
tering that  telltale  and  frightened  cry,  Agnew  stepped 
backward,  and,  the  tide  of  excited  sophomores  and 
freshmen  pouring  out  and  around  Frank  at  the  mo- 
ment gave  the  man  an  opportunity  to  escape. 

"I  unveiled  the  real  villain,  anyway,"  Frank  thought, 
as  he  walked  homeward  from  Billie's,  "and  I'm  glad 
to  know  that  it  was  not  Dade  Morgan.  He  is  capable 
of  it,  perhaps,  but  he  didn't  do  that!" 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE     NEW     CAPTAIN. 

"Merriwell,  Merriwell,  Merriwell!    Hurrah!" 

The  cry  went  up  from  hundreds  of  throats  as  stu- 
dents came  rushing  out  of  Alumni  Hall,  cheering 
madly  and  waving  their  hats  and  caps. 

Men  were  running  hither  and  thither  across  the 
campus,  yelling  joyously  as  they  ran,  as  if  seeking  to 
hurriedly  convey  good  news  of  some  sort.  Waiting 
groups  rose  and  howled  and  danced  like  wild  Indians. 
Windows  of  the  quadrangle  flew  open  on  all  sides, 
and  heads  of  students  filled  them;  these  took  up  the 
cheering. 

"He's  got  it!"  shouted  the  excited  students  at  one 
another.  "We  knew  he  would!  Hurrah  for  Frank 
Merriwell!" 

Suddenly  a  part  of  the  great  throng  broke  into  a 
familiar  tune,  to  which  the  following  words  had  been 
improvised : 

"Here's  to  good  old  Frankie — drink  it  down ! 
Here's  to  good  old  Frankie — drink  it  down! 
Here's  to  good  old   Frankie, 
Who's  never  mean   nor  cranky, 
A  true-born,   true-blue   Yankee ! 

Drink    it   down !     Drink   it    down !     Drink   it    down ! 
down !    down !" 

A  tall,  handsome  youth  was  seen  in  the  midst  of  one 


The  New  Captain.  85 

group,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  was  the  leader.  This 
was  true,  even  though  he  had  already  graduated,  for 
he  was  Jack  Diamond,  of  Virginia. 

Being  in  New  Haven,  he  had  found  time  to  work 
hard  for  the  interest  of  Frank  Merriwell  in  the  strug- 
gle that  had  been  taking  place  at  college.  Jack,  some- 
what to  his  surprise,  had  discovered  that  he  could 
wield  a  powerful  influence  among  the  students  who 
had  known  him,  and  he  had  exerted  that  influence  to 
its  full  extent. 

It  was  plain  that  he  had  prepared  his  particular 
friends  for  the  outcome  of  the  struggle,  for  now,  at 
a  signal,  the  group  that  surrounded  him  began  to  sing 
the  tune  of  "Dixie,"  a  song  that  quickly  evoked  a 
perfect  whirlwind  of  enthusiasm.  Others  rushed  over 
to  the  group,  and  soon  it  seemed  that  the  entire  body 
of  students  were  singing: 

"Rally,  fellows,  round  our  Merry, 
All  his  foes  we'll  help  to  bury! 

Cheer  up!    cheer  up!   cheer  up  for  Frankie! 
We  are  to  our  captain  plighted, 
With  him  on  the  field  united — 

Cheer  up!    cheer  up!    cheer  up  for  Frankie! 

"Arise !    ye  men  of  Eli ! 

Hurrah !    hurrah ! 

Join  our  band  and  take  your  stand 
For  vict'ry,  Yale,  and   Frankie! 

Rise  up !     rise  up ! 
All  those  who  stand  by  Frankie! 

Rise  up !    rise  up ! 
And  cheer  fer  Yale  and  Frankie!" 


86  The  New  Captain. 

The  spirit  and  rhythm  of  the  tune  set  their  feet  to 
tramping,  and  soon  that  vast  throng  was  marching 
round  the  quadrangle  as  they  sang,  Jack  Diamond  at 
their  head,  his  fine  face  glowing,  and  his  heart  thump- 
ing. 

This  was  the  day  and  hour  he  had  waited  long  to 
see.  His  heart  had  told  him  it  must  come,  but  disap- 
pointment had  followed  disappointment  until  at  last 
it  began  to  seem  to  the  Virginian  that  even  at  Yale, 
for  all  of  her  boasted  democracy,  real  genuine  merit 
seldom  obtained  its  just  due. 

The  freshmen  knew  little  of  Diamond,  but  the  spirit 
of  the  tune,  the  words  and  the  occasion  seized  upon 
them,  and  they  fell  in  at  the  rear  of  the  procession, 
singing  with  the  others. 

In  front  of  Vanderbilt  Hall  they  stopped.  Up  went 
Jack  Diamond  on  brawny  shoulders.  His  head  was 
bare,  and  he  tossed  back  his  long  dark  hair  as  he  flour^ 
ished  one  hand,  crying: 

"Gentlemen,  brothers,  comrades,  men  of  Old  Eli 
this  is  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  glorious  occa- 
sions Yale  has  ever  known.  Though  that  glad,  sad, 
longed-for  and  regretted  day  of  commencement  has 
made  me  an  'old  grad/  yet  my  heart  is  here,  and  I 
feel  that  I  am  still  one  of  you  in  spirit. 

"To-day  a  victory  has  been  won,  and  that  victory 
shall  lead  to  others  grander  and  more  glorious.  In 
this  college  there  has  been  one  qualified  from  the 


The  New  Captain.  87 

close  of  his  freshman  year  to  become  your  leader  in 
all  lines  of  manly  and  athletic  sports,  and  especially 
qualified  to  be  the  captain  of  the  football-team.  To 
him  can  be  traced  the  winning  of  more  than  half  of  the 
football  games  accredited  to  Yale  when  he  has  been 
one  of  the  players. 

"This  is  a  strong  statement  to  make,  but  the  record 
will  prove  that  it  is  the  sober  truth.  Yet  this  man  has, 
for  some  reason,  been  kept  down  as  far  as  it  was  pos- 
sible to  keep  such  a  man  down.  He  has  been  subjected 
to  the  whims  and  caprices  of  captains  and  managers. 
He  has  been  moved  about  from  position  to  position. 
He  has  been  relegated  to  the  second  team.  And  never 
has  he  been  given  a  single  opportunity  to  show  what 
he  could  do  as  a  leader,  free  and  untrammeled. 

"At  last,  as  it  seems,  Fate  determined  that  he  should 
have  his  opportunity.  That  this  opportunity  came 
through  the  misfortune  of  another  who  had  been  regu- 
larly elected  captain  of  the  eleven,  but  who  is  no  longer 
able  to  be  here  in  college,  no  one  can  regret  any  more 
than  does  Frank  Merriwell  himself.  He  used  his  in- 
fluence most  generously  to  bring  about  the  choosing 
of  Mark  Alcott  for  that  position.  In  return,  Alcott 
expressed  a  strong  hope  that  Merriwell  should  be 
chosen  to  fill  his  place. 

"You  all  know  how  much  influence  was  brought  to 
bear  against  Merry,  but  the  time  had  come,  and  all  the 
scheming  of  his  enemies  could  not  defeat  him.  He 


88  The  New  Captain. 

has  been  appointed  captain  of  the  eleven.  Not  only 
that,  but  he  has  been  given  the  assurance  that  his  ad- 
vice will  be  followed  in  whatever  policy  the  manage- 
ment of  the  team  may  decide  upon,  and  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  at  last  he  has  reached  the  position  he  is  so 
thoroughly  competent  to  fill  to  the  glory  of  Old  Eli. 

"Under  the  leadership  of  Frank  Merriwell,  Yale 
will  again  take  her  preeminent  position  on  the  gridiron. 
He  will  lead  to  victory !  Three  cheers  for  Frank  Mer- 
riwell, captain  of  the  eleven!  Ready — now!" 

It  had  been  almost  impossible  to  repress  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  crowd  till  Jack  finished  his  speech,  and 
now  the  students  again  burst  into  the  wildest  cheering 
for  the  new  captain  of  the  eleven. 

"Where  is  he?"  was  the  cry,  when,  after  some  time, 
the  cheering  had  abated  somewhat. 

At  that  moment  Frank  himself,  dressed  in  a  hand- 
some, rough  gray  suit,  came  out  through  the  doorway 
and  paused  on  the  broad  stone  steps. 

A  roar  of  admiration  went  up  from  that  great 
throng!  The  hot  blood  mounted  to  the  cheeks  of  the 
young  athlete  for  whom  this  ovation  was  meant !  He 
was  thrilled,  and  a  mist  blurred  for  an  instant  his  clear 
eyes! 

It  suddenly  developed  that  a  committee  had  been 
chosen  to  notify  Frank  of  his  election.  The  committee 
pressed  forward  and  attempted  to  do  their  duty 
formally,  but  the  chairman  was  forced  to  cut  it  short. 


The  New  Captain.  89 

Somebody  yelled  for  Merry  to  make  a  speech,  and 
then  the  crowd  bellowed  for  a  speech. 

"Fellow  students,  brothers  of  Old  Eli,"  he  began, 
his  voice  clear  and  steady,  "I  am  in  no  mood  for 
speechmaking.  There  has  of  late  been  much  talk,  my 
friends  say,  as  to  what  my  policy  would  be  if  I  were 
elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  made  by  the  unfortunate 
failure  of  Mark  Alcott  to  return  to  college.  I  want  to 
say  now  and  here  that  in  no  way  shall  I  permit  per- 
sonal feelings  and  my  own  likes  and  dislikes  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  making  up  of  the  eleven.  Be 
he  friend  or  foe,  every  candidate  for  the  team  shall 
have  a  fair  chance  and  a  fair  trial,  for  my  policy  shall 
be  to  put  the  best  team  possible  into  the  field  and  to 
fight  to  the  last  gasp  for  Yale." 

That  was  all ;  it  was  enough.  They  knew  he  meant 
it,  and  it  struck  a  responsive  chord  in  their  breasts. 
Jack  Diamond  came  up  the  steps  and  grasped  Frank's 
hand.  Others  followed,  and  for  all  of  his  protests, 
Merriwell  was  lifted  aloft,  carried  down  the  steps,  and 
borne  out  through  the  archway  of  the  gate  on  the 
shoulders  of  his  singing,  shouting,  cheering  admirers. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A     PRECIOUS     PAIR. 

Of  course  there  were  students  who  did  not  join  in 
this  demonstration.  Two  of  them  had  paused  by  the 
fence  before  the  appearance  of  Merriwell.  They  were 
Roland  Packard  and  Dade  Morgan. 

"What  do  you  think  of  that?"  asked  the  medical 
student,  with  a  sneer. 

Morgan's  lips  were  pressed  together,  and  the  pleas- 
ant smile  he  so  assiduously  cultivated  had  been  ban- 
ished from  his  face,  which  now  looked  black  as  a 
storm-cloud. 

"I  think  there  are  a  lot  of  duffers  in  this  college," 
he  said  harshly.  "But  they  are  like  the  great  mass  of 
human  beings;  they  long  for  a  golden  calf  to  worship. 
It  is  strange  how  men  love  to  be  led  about  with  rings 
in  their  noses.  But  it  suits  my  purpose  that  such  is  the 
case,  for  I  am  manufacturing  a  large  supply  of  rings. 
When  the  time  comes,  I  shall  put  them  all  to  use." 

"Hear  the  fools  cheering  for  Merriwell!"  snapped 
Packard.  "Doesn't  it  make  you  sick?" 

"A  trifle,"  admitted  Morgan ;  "but  what  can  you  ex- 
pect of  such  cattle!  At  this  moment  Merriwell  is  the 
popular  hero,  and  they  have  gathered  around  him. 
But  every  popular  hero  stands  on  a  dangerous  pinnacle. 
As  long  as  the  weather  is  fair,  he  may  be  able  to  keep 


A  Precious  Pair.  91 

his  balance  and  retain  his  position;  but  when  storms 
arise  and  the  winds  blow,  it  is  a  much  more  difficult 
task.  Let  him  topple  and  tumble  and  great  is  the  fall 
thereof.  Sometimes  a  popular  hero  falls  because  he 
is  pushed.  Mr.  Merriwell  wants  to  be  constantly  on 
his  guard.  We  are  open  enemies,  and  I'm  able  to  do 
considerable  pushing." 

"But  you  were  not  able  to  keep  him  from  being 
chosen  to  fill  Alcott's  place  as  captain  of  the  eleven?" 

Dade  bit  his  lip,  his  eyes  flashing  with  suppressed 
rage. 

"No,"  he  grated.  "Last  night  I  would  have  sworn 
I  had  him.  The  pipes  were  placed." 

"But  you  failed." 

"Yes." 

"Why?" 

"Through  my  own  carelessness!" 

"How  was  that  ?" 

"I'd  never  met  that  fellow  Diamond.  None  of  our 
class  knew  him.  When  he  dropped  into  Jackson's,  I 
mistook  him  for  some  upper-classman  who  was  in  with 
me,  and  I  talked  over  matters  before  him.  He  got 
onto  the  game,  and  he  defeated  me.  Frank  Merri- 
well can  thank  Jack  Diamond  for  his  success  in  obtain- 
ing his  position." 

Packard  was  regarding  Morgan  wonderingly. 

"You're  a  dandy,"  he  finally  declared.  "I  don't  be- 
lieve any  other  freshman  ever  would  have  thought  of 


92  A  Precious  Pair. 

trying  such  a  trick  against  a  senior.  I  don't  believe 
any  other  freshman  who  ever  entered  Yale  could  have 
wielded  the  power  you  have  here." 

Something  like  a  grim  smile  of  satisfaction  flickered 
about  Dade's  hard,  firm  mouth. 

"I  reckon  not,"  he  agreed. 

"How  do  you  do  it?    That's  what  I'd  like  to  know." 

"My  dear  fellow,  if  I  were  to  tell  you,  you'd  not 
know  any  better  than  you  know  now.  It  is  mental 
caliber  and  power;  a  will  to  dominate  and  command. 
I  possess  it.  I  know  I  was  born  to  lead,  I  am  deter- 
mined to  lead,  and  I  do  lead." 

"But  you  could  never  lead  Merriwell." 

"Perhaps  not!"  snarled  the  freshman.  "I  don't 
want  to!  I  want  to  crush  him!" 

"See  here,  Morgan,"  said  Roland,  his  wonder  in- 
creasing, "I  can't  understand  you  at  all." 

"I  know  it.  If  you  could,  if  I  were  open  as  a  book, 
so  any  one  could  understand  me,  my  power  as  leader 
would  be  gone." 

"What  I  cannot  understand  is  your  intense  hatred 
for  Merriwell.  Now,  if  you  had  known  him  for  some 
time  and  had  been  given  any  apparent  reason  for  ha- 
ting him,  it  would  not  be  so  strange;  but  you  seemed 
to  hate  him  from  the  very  day  you  entered  Yale." 

"I  hated  him  before  that." 

"Ha !  Then  you  knew  him  before  you  came  to  col- 
lege?" 


A  Precious  Pair.  93 

"No." 

"You  had  never  met  him  ?" 

"Never." 

"Has  he  ever  done  you  a  wrong?" 

"Never." 

"Ever  wronged  any  of  your  relatives?" 

"No." 

"Well,  it  beats  anything  I  ever  heard  of!"  admitted 
Packard.  "It  must  have  been  instinctive  hatred. 
Otherwise  there  can  be  no  real  reason  why  you  should 
hate  him  so." 

"That's  where  you're  wrong;  there  is  a  real  reason 
for  my  hatred — a  good  reason,  too." 

This  was  more  bewildering  than  ever  for  Roland, 
but  Morgan  had  no  notion  of  explaining  at  that  time, 
so  the  medical  student  remained  in  the  dark  as  to  the 
underlying  cause  for  Dade's  enmity  toward  Merri- 
well. 

"They've  gone  to  cheer  under  his  window,"  mut- 
tered Morgan.  "They  have  gone  to  tell  him  that  he 
has  been  chosen  captain  of  the  eleven.  Listen  to  that !" 

They  could  hear  the  clear,  ringing  voice  of  Jack 
Diamond  as  the  triumphant  Southerner  made  his 
speech  before  Vanderbilt. 

"I'd  like  to  shoot  him  for  spoiling  my  plans!" 
snarled  the  freshman. 

"And  I'd  like  to  shoot  him  for  other  reasons,"  said 
Roland,  who  remembered  an  encounter  with  the  Vir- 


94  A  Precious  Pair. 

ginian  that  he  longed  to  forget.  "I  have  a  score 
against  him." 

"But  I  can't  afford  to  waste  my  time  on  him,"  Mor- 
gan averred.  "He  is  no  longer  in  college." 

"Why  is  he  back  here?" 

"Perhaps  he  contemplates  taking  a  post-graduate 
course." 

"I  think  not.  I  believe  some  other  reason  brought 
him  to  New  Haven." 

"Well,  whatever  it  was,  it  ruined  my  well-laid  plans. 
He  must  have  worked  like  a  tiger  to  upset  'em." 

"Well,  what  will  you  do,  now  that  you  are  beaten?" 

Morgan  turned  his  piercing  eyes  on  his  companion, 
his  look  one  of  rebuke. 

"Beaten!"  he  exclaimed.    "I  am  not  beaten!" 

"But  Merriwell  is  captain  of  the  eleven." 

"Yes." 

"Then " 

"Do  you  think  I'm  going  to  lay  down  now?  Not 
much!" 

"What  will  you  do?" 

"I'll  do  him  before  I  have  finished,  or  my  name's 
not  Morgan !  I  shall  not  waste  my  time  on  small  fry, 
like  this  Diamond.  Let  Diamond  have  his  little  vic- 
tory now.  I  shall  wait  till  the  right  time  comes,  and 
then  I'll  strike  straight  at  Merriwell.  When  I  strike, 
he  shall  fall!" 

"In  the  meantime " 


A  Precious  Pair.  95 

"Let  whoever  may,  think  I  am  defeated.  Let  them 
think  I've  given  up.  It  will  suit  my  purpose  all  the 
better." 

"I  believe  you  had  some  ambition  to  get  onto  the 
eleven?" 

"I  not  only  did  have,  but  I  still  have." 

"What — with  Merriwell  captain!" 

"Merriwell  is  captain  to-day.  Long  before  the  sea- 
son ends  he  may  not  be  anything." 

"Morgan,"  cried  Packard,  "I  like  your  style !  You're 
a  stayer!  You  are  the  first  man  I've  ever  met  who 
didn't  show  weak  spots." 

"Thanks,"  said  Dade  dryly. 

"Of  course,"  Roland  continued,  "you're  a  freshman, 
and  that  counts  against  you." 

"Rot!"  said  Dade  shortly. 

"It  does,"  persisted  Packard.  "If  you  were  even 
a  sophomore  it  would  be  different,  but  a  freshman — 
that's  bad." 

"Blithering  rot!"  Dade  asserted. 

"Call  it  what  you  like,  you  can't  swing  men  same 
as  you  might  if  you  were  advanced  a  class  or  two. 
Sophs  will  not  affiliate  with  freshmen." 

"But  juniors " 

"They  pretend  to  back  up  the  freshmen,  but  that's 
only  to  keep  the  ball  moving  and  make  plenty  of  sport. 
They  really  regard  freshmen  with  contempt." 

"There's  one  freshman  they'll  not  regard  with  con- 


96  A  Precious  Pair. 

tempt  when  they  come  to  know  him,"  grated  Morgan. 
"If  you  shy  at  being  seen  with  me,  Packard,  a  fig  care 
I.  You'll  find  other  upper-classmen  are  not  so  snob- 
bish." 

"Oh,  you  quite  mistake  me !"  Roland  hastened  to  as- 
sure. "I  was  just  telling  you  so  you'd  understand 
how " 

"I've  been  here  long  enough  to  get  my  eyes  open. 
I  knew  how  it  would  be  before  I  came.  But  I'll  open 
your  eyes  later  when  you  see  the  influence  I  wield. 
I'm  not  boasting;  you'll  find  I  never  boast.  In  the 
meantime,  our  hatred  for  Merriwell  ties  us  together. 
I  may  depend  on  you  when  I  want  you?" 

"Sure  thing." 

"Good !  There's  Merriwell  on  the  steps.  He's  say- 
ing something.  Hear  the  fools  yell!  Look  at  them 
rushing  up  to  shake  hands  with  him!" 

"They've  lifted  him  on  their  shoulders,"  said  Pack- 
ard. "They're  going  to  carry  him  round  the  campus 
that  way." 

"Then  I  think  I'll  move.  I  don't  care  for  any  of 
them  to  see  me  just  now.  So  long,  Packard.  Remem- 
ber we're  united  in  a  common  cause." 


After  the  ovation  given  him  by  his  fellow  students, 
Frank  turned  toward  his  room,  accompanied  by  Dia- 
mond, Hodge,  and  Browning.  Never  in  all  his  life 


A  Precious  Pair.  97 

had  the  loyal  Southerner  been  happier  than  he  was  in 
that  hour  of  Frank's  triumph.  His  face  glowed,  his 
blood  was  leaping  in  his  veins,  and  he  walked  with  a 
bounding,  springy  step. 

"I  couldn't  believe  it  would  never  come,"  he  de- 
clared. "Something  told  me  you  would  get  there, 
Merry.  Now  the  bill  is  filled,  and  I  shall  leave  New 
Haven  perfectly  happy." 

"I  have  heard,"  said  Frank,  "how  you  pulled  for 
me,  Jack,  and  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  shall  not 
forget." 

"Even  though  he  may  his  foes,"  said  Hodge,  with 
a  short  laugh. 

"I  do  not  forget  them,  old  man,"  declared  Merry. 
"I  may  hold  my  hand  from  revenge,  but  I  never  for- 
get." 

"I'm  glad  I'm  not  one  of  the  hand-holding  kind. 
Now,  there's  that  whelp  Morgan;  if  I  were  in  your 
place,  I'd  wring  his  neck.  The  idea  of  a  freshman 
presuming  to  try  to  play  the  game  he's  been  at  ever 
since  the  fall  term  opened !  He  came  mighty  near  suc- 
ceeding, too." 

"But,  thanks  to  Diamond  and  other  loyal  friends, 
he  was  frustrated.  Perhaps  that  will  settle  him." 

"Don't  you  think  it,"  broke  in  Jack.  "You  can't 
settle  a  fellow  of  his  caliber  so  easy.  I'd  like  to  run 
against  him  once  more  before  leaving." 

"Why  does  he  hate  you,  Merry?"  grunted  Bruce 


98  A  Precious  Pair. 

who  betrayed  amazing  few  symptoms  of  his  old-time 
chronic  laziness,  and  who,  having  trained  steadily  since 
the  close  of  the  summer  vacation,  was  rapidly  getting 
rid  of  his  superfluous  flesh.  "That's  something 
queer  ?" 

"It  is  queer,"  admitted  Frank;  "and  it  interests  me 
in  the  fellow.  I  know  there  must  be  some  underlying 
motive,  yet  what  it  is  I  cannot  fathom." 

"Well,  one  thing  is  certain,"  said  Bart. 

"Mr.  Morgan's  ambition  to  get  onto  the  eleven  is 
knocked  in  the  head  now." 

"Why?" 

"Why?  Because  you  have  been  elected  captain. 
That  cooks  his  goose." 

"In  what  way?" 

"Why,"  cried  Bart,  astounded,  "you  don't  mean  to 
say  you'll  let  him  make  the  team?  You  wouldn't  do 
a  thing  like  that?" 

Frank  smiled  quietly. 

"Hodge,"  he  said,  "didn't  you  hear  me  say  in  the 
presence  of  that  crowd  that  personal  feelings  and 
prejudices  should  have  nothing  to  do  with  that  matter. 
I  am  a  Yale  man,  and  I'd  fight  for  the  glory  of  Yale 
shoulder  to  shoulder  even  with  Morgan,  if  necessary." 

They  were  ascending  the  steps  of  Vanderbilt. 

"But  it  isn't  necessary!"  exclaimed  Bart.  "There 
are  others  \vho  are  better " 

"Let  those  others  prove  it,  and  Morgan  will  never 


A  Precious  Pair.  99 

make  the  eleven  while  I  am  captain.  Let  him  prove 
himself  a  superior  man  for  any  particular  position, 
and  he'll  fill  that  position  if  I  can  put  him  into  it." 

Bart  actually  ground  his  teeth  in  rage. 

"Talk  about  not  understanding  Dade  Morgan!"  he 
grated.  "I've  known  you  a  long  time,  Merriwell,  and 
I've  not  begun  to  understand  you  yet." 

"I  suppose  Merry  is  right,"  admitted  Diamond,  as 
they  passed  into  the  building  and  climbed  the  stairs; 
"but  I  do  not  believe  there  are  many  fellows  in  Yale 
who  could  take  the  stand  he  has." 

"Yale  will  play  football  this  fall  to  win,"  said  Frank 
unswervingly.  "I  shall  be  glad  to  see  any  of  my 
friends  make  the  team,  but  friendly  feelings  will  not 
put  one  of  them  onto  it  over  another  fellow  who  is  bet- 
ter qualified." 

"Are  you  satisfied  with  the  make-up  of  the  first 
eleven  as  it  stands  now?"  asked  Bruce. 

"Hardly,"  admitted  Merry.  "Of  course,  Murphy 
knows  his  business,  and  I  think  his  scheme  of  pulling 
the  heavy  men  back  from  the  line  may  pan  out  great, 
but  there  are  fellows  on  the  second  eleven  who  should 
be  on  the  first.  If  you  keep  up  your  work  of  the  past 
two  weeks,  Bruce,  you're  bound  to  get  a  chance  on  the 
first  team,  mark  what  I  say."  He  paused  with  his 
hand  on  the  knob  of  his  door  to  add :  "I  didn't  think 
it  was  in  you  to  work  as  you  have,  but  I  knew  you 
could  win  if  you'd  try.  After  getting  into  shape  as 


ioo  A  Precious  Pair. 

you  did  this  summer,  it  will  come  easier  than  ever  be- 
fore to  train  down  for  the  eleven.  Keep  it  up.  Come 
in,  fellows." 

He  opened  the  door  and  walked  into  his  room,  fol- 
lowed by  the  others.  A  surprise  awaited  him. 

In  that  room,  ready  to  greet  him,  were  Dolph  and  v 
Juliet  Reynolds,  Inza  Burrage  and  Elsie  Bellwood. 

"Hail  to  the  conquering  hero!"  drawled  the  young 
Englishman,  with  a  placid  wave  of  his  hand.  The 
girls  came  forward  together.  Frank's  cap  was  off, 
and  his  manly  face  glowed  with  the  pleasure  he  felt. 

"Elsie!  Inza!"  he  cried,  extending  a  hand  to  each 
— the  right  to  Elsie,  the  left  to  Inza.  "Why, 
when " 

"We  came  in  while  they  were  raising  the  rumpus 
over  you  out  on  the  green,  dear  boy,"  Dolph  explained. 
"A  little  surprise  party,  don't  y'  'now." 

"A  surprise  party  indeed !"  laughed  Merry.  "I  did 
not  even  know  you  were  in  New  Haven." 

"Then  Mr.  Diamond,  my  friend  from  Virginia, 
didn't  tell  you  ?  I  wasn't  sure  he  could  keep  it  to  him- 
self." 

"Did  he  know — the  rascal?"  cried  Frank,  turning 
on  Jack,  who  was  smiling.  "He  never  murmured  a 
word." 

"I  was  pledged  to  silence;  my  lips  were  sealed,"  ex- 
plained the  Southerner. 

"That's  right,"  smiled  Dolph,  with  a  queer  look  to- 


A  Precious  Pair.  101 

ward  his  sister.  "I  happened  to  witness  by  accident 
the  sealing  process." 

Juliet  blushed  furiously,  giving  Dolph  a  reproachful 
look,  which  caused  him  to  chuckle  softly,  as  if  he 
fancied  it  all  a  splendid  joke. 

"You  see,"  the  young  Englishman  explained,  "we 
three  sail  for  Liverpool  next  Monday." 

"Three?"  exclaimed  Frank. 

"Yaas;  Juliet,  myself,  and — Jack." 

"Diamond?" 

"My  friend  from  Virginia." 

"Why,  how  does  that  happen?" 

"Simple,  old  fellow — simple.  Jack  is  going  over 
with  us  at  my  invitation.  I'm  going  to  show  him  a 
little  shooting  down  in  Surrey,  and  we're  talking  of  a 
visit  to  Paris  and  a  trip  to  Italy.  We'll  manage  to 
worry  away  the  winter.  Perhaps,"  he  added  slyly, 
"perhaps  he  may  like  England  well  enough  to  settle 
down  over  there." 

Hodge  had  remained  in  the  background  with 
Browning,  but  Frank  drew  them  forward  now,  and 
there  was  more  handshaking. 

"I  suppose,"  said  Dolph,  "that  Yale  will  now  re- 
cover her  former  position  of  glory  on  the  gridiron. 
In  fact,"  he  added,  "I'm  blooming  sure  of  it,  don't  y' 
'now,  for  I  am  well  aware  of  Mr.  Merriwell's  ability 
as  a  manager.  Thanks  to  him  and  his  unconquerable 
baseball-team,  I've  enjoyed  a  delightful  ©uting  this 


102  A  Precious  Pair. 

summer,  spent  all  the  money  any  man  could  wish  to 
spend,  and  I'm  going  back  home  with  a  fat  little  purse. 
Next  year  I'm  thinking  of  taking  hold  of  baseball  on 
the  other  side  myself.  We've  just  begun  to  pick  up 
the  game,  don't  y'  understand,  and  I  rawther  fawncy 
we'll  like  it  after  a  while.  Now,  if  I  could  get  Merry 
to  bring  over  a  team " 

"Oh,  that  would  be  just  perfectly  lovely!"  exclaimed 
Juliet,  with  sudden  effusion. 

"It's  too  far  ahead  to  plan  such  a  thing  now,"  smiled 
Merry.  "But  we  can  sit  down  and  talk  over  old 
times." 

This  they  did,  and  a  right  jolly  party  they  were. 
After  a  time,  there  came  a  confident  little  rap,  and 
the  opened  door  revealed  Jack  Ready  outside. 

"Refuse  me!"  he  cried,  when  he  saw  those  within 
the  room.  "I'll  call  again.  Fm  so  shy!" 

But  they  urged  him  to  come  in,  and,  in  his  own 
original  way,  he  finally  did  so,  murmuring: 

"I  know  I  shall  be  stolen.  How  can  those  girls  re- 
sist the  temptation  when  the  full  radiance  of  my  daz- 
zling beauty  dawns  upon  them!  I  really  need  an 
armed  guard  constantly  about  me.  I  fear  I  may  be 
forced  to  wear  a  mask." 

Jack  was  as  refreshing  as  a  cool  breeze  on  a  hot 
summer  day.  He  expressed  his  pleasure  at  meeting 
old  friends  again,  shook  hands  with  Dolph,  and,  hand 
on  his  heart,  bowed  very  low  to  the  girls.  Then,  re- 


A  Precious  Pair.  103 

membering  certain  events  at  Niagara,  he  turned  and 
gave  Diamond  a  sly,  meaning  wink. 

But,  for  some  strange  reason,  the  Virginian  was  not 
jealous  now,  and  he  simply  smiled  kindly,  possibly  a 
bit  patronizingly,  on  the  flippant  collegian.  There  was 
confidence  in  his  manner.  Ready  seemed  quick  to 
realize  the  real  situation.  At  the  very  first  oppor- 
tunity, he  slyly  said  to  Diamond : 

"Congratulations,  old  fellow.  Send  cards  to  my  ad- 
dress. May  Heaven  bless  you." 

"Go  on!"  muttered  the  Southerner,  his  face  flush- 
ing. "Why  do  you  try  to  be  a  guy  all  the  time  ?" 

"Natural;  born  that  way;  can't  help  it.  Ah!  but 
this  is  a  great  day  for  Yale.  At  last  our  chieftain  has 
come  to  his  own,  and  my  heart  is  full  to  overflowing. 
Alas !  however,  my  purse  is  as  empty  as  usual.  'Twas 
ever  thus." 

His  laughter  was  followed  by  a  sigh. 

"Poor  fellow!"  exclaimed  Elsie.  "Permit  me  to 
loan  you  a  nickel." 

"The  price  of  a  single  hot  dog.  Even  that  would 
not  fill  my  stomach.  Ah !  never  mind  the  nickel ;  give 
me  but  a  smile  from  those  ruby  lips  and  I'll " 

"Look  here!"  laughed  Frank;  "there  is  such  a  thing 
as  being  too  fresh." 

"Squelched!"  sobbed  Ready,  with  a  gesture  of  an- 
guish. "It's  the  same  old  story.  I  always  get  it  that 
way." 


104  A  Precious  Pair. 

"Then  you  are  not  lucky  in  love?"  said  Juliet,  pos- 
sibly with  a  bit  of  malice  in  her  manner. 

"Lucky?"  cried  Ready.    "Oh,  yes,  I  am!" 

"How's  that?" 

"Why,  I've  been  refused  by  seven  different  girls 
within  a  year.  Talk  about  being  lucky;  I'm  it!" 

"Don't  you  think  that  rather  unkind  in  the  presence 
of  ladies?"  put  in  Diamond,  who  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  prod  the  breezy  sophomore. 

"Perchance,  it  may  be  thus  construed,"  admitted 
Ready;  "but  I  am  ever  truthful.  It's  a  way  I  have. 
I've  never  deceived  anybody  or  told  a  lie  in  all  my 
life." 

"My!"  cried  Inza.  "You'll  be  frightfully  lonesome 
in  heaven  with  just  George  Washington  for  company." 

Then  all  laughed  merrily.  The  conversation  flowed 
on  till  football  became  the  topic. 

"I  say,  Dolph,"  cried  Frank,  "can't  you  postpone 
your  voyage  over,  long  enough  to  stay  and  witness  our 
game  with  Columbia?" 

"My  deah  boy,"  drawled  the  young  Englishman, 
"it'll  be  impossible." 

"I  suppose,"  said  Elsie,  "that  now  you  are  captain, 
Frank,  you'll  have  all  your  friends  on  the  eleven?" 

"If  they  are  better  men  than  other  candidates,  yes; 
if  I  find  others  better  than  they,  no.  Football  cannot 
be  run  on  the  basis  of  friendship.  There's  often  too 
much  of  that  kind  of  business  in  it." 


A  Precious  Pair.  105 

"But  your  enemies,"  came  quickly  from  Inza; 
"surely  you'll  keep  them  off  the  team?" 

"Not  if  they  are  better  men  than  other  candidates. 
But  I'm  not  the  entire  management,  you  must  remem- 
ber." 

"You'll  be  just  about  that,"  Browning  asserted.  "I 
know.  Your  policy  will  be  followed  in  everything, 
and  what  you  say  about  the  make-up  of  the  team  will 
go." 

"I  have  some  friends,"  admitted  Frank,  "whom  I 
should  like  to  see  on  the  eleven." 

"Many  thanks,"  said  Ready,  rising  and  bowing. 
"Kind  of  you." 

"Oh,  you've  nerve  enough  to  get  there  without  any 
assistance  from  me,"  Merry  laughed.  "The  former 
leader  of  the  freshmen  is  now  a  mighty  sophomore, 
and  his  road  to  the  eleven  lies  wide  open  if  he  can 
but  travel  it.  There  is,  however,  a  new  man  in  Yale, 
a  freshman,  whom  I'd  like  to  see  have  a  show  on  the 
eleven.  I  believe  he's  capable,  and  he  is  just  the  kind 
Mike  Murphy  is  looking  for  to  fill  a  position  back 
of  the  line." 

"We  know  whom  you  mean!"  exclaimed  Hodge. 
"You're  thinking  of  that  big  boy  Starbright." 

"Correct.  I've  watched  his  practise  work,  and  he's 
all  right.  He's  remarkably  agile  for  such  a  giant,  has 
wonderful  strength,  can  run  and  kick,  and  I  believe 


106  A  Precious  Pair. 

he  has  sand  and  staying  power.  I  hope  to  see  him  one 
of  the  backs." 

"I  should  think  the  team  would  be  all  made  up  by 
this  time,"  said  Dolph.  "You  are  going  to  play  in 
another  week,  and  yet  you  talk  of  the  make-up  of  the 
team.  By  Jawve!  I  don't  understand  it." 

"You  take  these  opening  games  too  seriously, 
Dolph,"  exclaimed  Merry.  "They  are  only  practise, 
so  that  we  may  be  in  condition  for  the  great  games  to 
come.  Sometimes  it  happens  that  no  more  than  two 
or  three  of  the  men  who  begin  the  season  on  the  first 
eleven  are  able  to  hold  their  places  till  after  the 
Thanksgiving  game.  Others  prove  themselves  better, 
or  injuries  put  the  original  men  off  the  field.  There 
are  fifty  men  in  college,  every  one  of  whom  has  hopes 
of  making  the  eleven  before  the  season  ends.  There 
are  something  like  thirty  fellows,  substitutes  and  all, 
who  are  working  on  the  first  and  second  eleven  now. 
A  man  on  the  first  eleven  to-day  may  be  transferred  to 
the  second  eleven  to-morrow  or  dropped  entirely;  his 
position  is  never  secure." 

"And  can  you  get  the  best  work  out  of  them  under 
such  uncertain  conditions?"  the  Englishman  asked. 

"The  very  best.  Every  man  is  supposed  to  be  work- 
ing for  the  glory  of  Yale,  not  for  his  own  personal 
glory.  If  he  is  dropped  because  a  better  man  can  be 
found  for  his  place,  he  is  supposed  to  entertain  no 
hard  feelings,  but  still  to  pull  for  Old  Eli." 


A  Precious  Pair.  107 

"Is  that  always  what  happens?  Do  none  of  the 
dropped  candidates  entertain  feelings?" 

"I  regret  to  say,"  admitted  Merriwell,  "that  some- 
times a  man  is  so  sore  that  he  can't  get  over  it." 

"Don't  talk   football  any  more,"  entreated  Juliet. 
"You'll  have  time  enough  for  that  after  we're  gone.  j. 
Sing  some  of  your  college  songs,  please.    I  love  them !" 

"Yaas,"  drawled  Dolph.  "They're  great,  don't  y' 
'now.  Give  us  some  of  them." 

Being  urged,  the  boys  finally  consented,  and  soon 
they  were  singing  the  old  favorites.  The  girls  joined 
in  every  chorus.  Time  flew  swiftly  till  there  came  a 
knock  on  the  door,  and  there  stood  Bernard  Burrage, 
Inza's  father,  who  had  come  for  the  girls. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE   TEAMS   IN   PRACTISE. 

The  coaches  had  put  various  candidates  "through 
their  paces"  on  the  field.  They  were  beginning  to 
work  the  men  hard,  and  the  aspirants  for  football 
honors  stood  all  kinds  of  criticism  and  abuse  with  the 
patience  and  meekness  of  cattle. 

Then  the  first  eleven,  with  Frank  Merriwell  in  com- 
mand, lined  up  against  the  scrub.  Everybody  was  anx- 
ious to  see  what  Merry  would  do  with  the  team. 
Chickering  and  his  chums  were  on  hand. 

"Now,"  sneered  Julian  Ives,  brushing  back  his  glori- 
ous bang,  "we'll  behold  an  exhibition  of  Merriwell's 
ability  as  a  commander-in-chief.  Doesn't  he  feel  that 
he's  the  whole  push !" 

"He  maketh  me  thick !"  lisped  Lew  Veazie.  "He  ith 
thimply  nautheating.  Give  me  a  thigawette,  Ollie." 

"Yes,  chummie,"  said  Lord,  handing  over  a  pack- 
age and  then  affectionately  passing  his  arm  over  Lew's 
shoulders.  "We  shall  need  something  to  steady  our 
nerves." 

"Bah !"  growled  Gene  Skelding.  "I  hope  he'll  make 
a  mess  of  it." 

"Don't,  fellows!"  murmured  Rupert.  "If  the  poor 
fellow  can  do  anything,  don't  be  too  hard  on  him." 

"There's  Morgan  playing  on  the  scrub,"  said  Gene. 


The  Teams  in  Practise.  109 

"Why,  he's  a  better  man  than  Merriwell  ever  dreamed 
of  being,  but  he's  only  a  freshie,  and  he's  Merriwell's 
enemy,  so  he  hasn't  a  ghost  of  a  show  to  make  the 
eleven.  It's  no  use  for  him  to  try." 

"They're  going  to  begin,"  said  Julian.  "Now,  keep 
watch." 

The  scrub  and  the  first  eleven  were  lined  up  against 
each  other,  with  the  ball  in  possession  of  the  scrub. 
There  was  a  hush,  and  then  the  practise  game  began. 
The  scrub  kicked  off,  and  Frank,  playing  right  half,  re- 
turned the  kick.  After  some  volleying  of  this  sort, 
Hodge  attempted  to  advance  the  ball,  but  his  inter- 
ferers  were  mowed  down,  and  he  did  not  make  five 
yards  before  he  was  slapped  to  the  ground  by  Jack 
Ready. 

There  was  a  careful  line-up,  under  the  direction  of 
the  coaches,  and  the  ball  was  sent  back  to  Frank,  who 
tried  the  scrub's  center.  Browning  was  on  the  scrub, 
and  he  blocked  Merry  in  handsome  style,  holding  him 
for  a  down.  Frank's  friends  on  the  second  team  were 
showing  up  strong. 

Next  time  the  ball  went  back  to  Deerfield,  who  was 
playing  left  half,  and  he  tried  to  go  round  the  end 
with  it,  but  Bade  Morgan  was  there,  and  Deerfield 
went  down  with  a  slam  that  knocked  the  breath  out  of 
him.  This  gave  Chickering's  set  an  opportunity  to 
yell,  and  they  accepted  it. 

Another  down  would  give  the  ball  to  the  scrub,  so 


no  The  Teams  in  Practise. 

it  went  back  to  the  full-back,  the  big  sophomore  Beck- 
with,  for  a  kick,  and  he  slammed  it  far  down  the  field. 

Then  there  was  some  hot  work,  out  of  the  midst  of 
which  Dade  Morgan  shot  with  the  ball,  went  through 
the  first  eleven's  line,  got  past  Deerfield,  and  seemed  to 
have  a  clear  path  to  the  goal-line.  Half  the  length  of 
the  field  he  ran  amid  a  great  uproar,  and  then  Merri- 
well  caught  him  with  a  flying-tackle  and  stopped  him 
fifteen  yards  from  a  touch-down. 

But  Morgan  had  won  the  attention  of  everybody  by 
that  run,  though  he  was  inwardly  furious  and  raging 
because  Merriwell  had  been  the  man  to  stop  him. 

Now,  Frank  showed  his  generalship  by  anticipating 
and  blocking  every  move  the  scrub  attempted.  He 
seemed  to  divine  in  advance  just  what  would  be  tried, 
and  his  rushers  were  ready  to  tear  to  pieces  the  inter- 
ference of  the  scrub,  so  that  the  ball  quickly  went  to 
the  first  team  on  downs. 

From  that  time  on  the  ball  remained  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  regular  team  the  most  of  the  time,  though 
it  was  not  without  a  hard  fight  that  Hodge  was  finally 
pushed  over  the  scrub's  line  for  a  touch-down.  Merri- 
well kicked  a  goal  handsomely. 

The  scrub  was  unable  to  score,  though  it  seemed 
once  or  twice  that  it  had  a  fair  show  of  doing  so.  At 
the  same  time,  it  made  a  far  better  showing  than  usual 
against  the  regulars,  and  Merriwell's  enemies  were 
duly  elated. 


The  Teams  in  Practise.  in 

But,  between  the  first  and  second  halves,  Frank 
took  the  head  coach  of  the  eleven  aside  and  had  a  seri- 
ous talk  with  him. 

"Now,  what  do  you  thuppoth  that  meanth?"  lisped 
Lew  Veazie,  whose  natural  curiosity  was  whetted  to  a 
keen  edge.  i 

"Something's  up,"  nodded  Chickering  anxiously. 

"Merriwell's  working  for  a  change  on  his  team," 
Skelding  declared.  "I'll  bet  on  it.  He's  trying  to  pull 
some  of  his  friends  over  from  the  scrub.  See  if  I'm 
not  right." 

But  no  one  was  prepared  for  the  violent  change 
about  that  took  place  before  the  second  half  began. 
The  coach  notified  Starbright  that  he  would  take  Deer- 
field's  place  on  the  regulars,  while  Deerfield  was 
shifted  to  the  scrub.  Following  this,  Jack  Ready  came 
over  to  center  on  the  regulars,  and  Browning  was 
given  the  position  of  right  guard. 

"Didn't  I  tell  you!"  laughed  Gene  Skelding  sneer- 
ingly.  "I  knew  what  would  happen.  Merriwell  shot 
off  a  lot  of  wind  about  giving  everybody,  whether 
friend  or  foe,  a  fair  show ;  but  I  knew  all  the  time  that 
he'd  make  the  team  up  wholly  from  his  personal 
friends." 

"Defarge  is  still  in  the  line  at  right  tackle,"  said 
Ives. 

"But  he'll  fall  in  the  next  slaughter,"  prophesied 
Gene.  "Merriwell  hates  him,  and  his  head  will  come 


H2  The  Teams  in  Practise. 

off.  Oh,  Yale  will  have  a  fine  football-team  this  year, 
made  up  of  Merriwell's  pets." 

"I  think  that  would  be  a  thplendid  name  to  call  them, 
dean  boy,"  came  from  Veazie.  "Merriwell'th  Peth. 
He!  he!" 

"What's  this?"  exclaimed  Ives.  "Look  at  this! 
By  Jove !  Morgan  is — no,  it  can't  be ! — yes,  he  is  going 
onto  the  regulars,  too !  Now,  that  can't  be  Merriwell's 
work!" 

In  truth,  Dade  Morgan  had  been  taken  off  the  scrub 
and  transferred  to  the  first  eleven.  This  wholesale 
shift  about  was  making  some  of  the  old-timers  stare, 
and  it  had  created  a  buzz  of  excitement  on  the  field. 

"Merriwell  never  did  that,"  declared  Skelding.  "He 
wouldn't  think  of  bringing  Morgan  over.  That  was 
somebody  else's  idea,  and  I'll  bet  my  life  on  it!" 

"Ah!"  sighed  Chickering,  "you  will  not  give  the 
fellow  credit  for  a  single  generous  impulse." 

"Not  one!"  snarled  Gene.  "He  pulls  for  his  friends, 
and  that's  all  the  generosity  there  is  in  him." 

"Then  the  shift  of  Morgan  must  have  come  through 
the  manager,"  said  Rupert. 

"Without  a  doubt,"  nodded  Ollie  Lord  knowingly, 
as  he  lifted  himself  high  as  possible  on  his  high-heeled 
boots. 

"I  wonder  how  Merriwell  will  play  the  new  men?" 
breathed  Ives,  consumed  by  curiosity. 

This  question  was  answered  in  a  few  moments,  for 


The  Teams  in  Practise.  113 

the  regulars  lined  up  with  Starbright,  the  big  Andover 
freshman,  at  left  half,  Ready  at  center,  and  Browning 
on  his  left  hand  as  guard.  Dade  Morgan  was  given 
the  left  end  of  the  line.  Hodge  had  the  right  end,  De- 
farge  and  Beckwith  being  between  him  and  center. 

"Now,  we'll  see  what  they  can  do,"  muttered  Ives, 
again  caressing  his  pet  bang.  "I  hope  the  scrub  will 
make  an  even  better  showing  against  them." 

But  his  hope  was  vain.  Frank  had  spoken  a  few 
moments  to  the  new  men,  and  each  one  seemed  ready 
for  business  when  the  final  half  of  the  practise  game 
began.  The  regulars  went  at  the  scrub  in  whirlwind 
style,  and  Merriwell  himself  made  the  first  touch-down 
in  just  a  minute  and  a  half. 

Nothing  could  hold  the  regulars.  At  center,  Ready 
was  quick  as  a  flash,  active  as  a  panther,  and  savage 
as  a  tiger.  Browning  slammed  his  huge  bulk  into  the 
line  of  the  scrub  like  a  catapult,  and  Morgan  was  a 
perfect  mass  of  steel  springs  and  gunpowder.  Star- 
bright  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  distinguish  him- 
self till  near  the  close  of  the  game,  but  he  finally  made 
a  most  sensational  run  through  the  scrub  for  a  touch- 
down, dodging  or  flinging  off  tacklers  with  a  skill  that 
caused  the  spectators  to  rise  up  and  howl  with  approv- 
ing delight. 

The  new  make-up  had  proved  most  effective,  the 
work  of  the  regulars  in  the  final  half  being  the  most 
satisfactory  of  anything  seen  on  the  field  thus  far  for 


ii4  The  Teams  in  Practise. 

the  season,  and  even  the  coachers  were  free  with  ap- 
proval and  praise. 

Merriwell  had  found  the  right  men,  and  he  had 
placed  them  correctly  at  the  very  outset.  The  men 
who  had  been  shifted  to  the  scrub  to  bring  about  the 
change  felt  that  their  chances  of  being  shifted  back 
were  decidedly  slim. 

Immediately  at  the  close  of  the  game,  Merriwell 
hurried  to  Starbright,  grasped  his  arm,  and  earnestly 
said: 

"That  was  a  great  piece  of  work,  my  boy !  You  ran 
like  a  wild  horse,  and  you  dodged  or  threw  off  every 
tackier  in  handsome  style.  A  run  like  that  is  enough 
to  win  any  game.  I  thought  you  might  do  something 
of  the  kind,  if  given  a  chance,  and  I  worked  to  give 
you  the  chance.  I  think  you'll  stay  on  the  eleven." 

"If  I  do,"  said  the  big  freshman,  his  boyish,  hand- 
some face  aglow,  "I'll  owe  it  all  to  you,  and  I  won't 
forget  the  debt,  Captain  Merriwell." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    MYSTERIOUS    MR.    KING. 

Dade  Morgan  sat  alone  in  his  room,  his  eyes  fas- 
tened on  the  floor,  a  book  resting  open  on  his  lap,  while 
a  perplexed  and  angry  scowl  disfigured  his  peculiarly 
handsome  face. 

"I  don't  understand  it,"  he  muttered.  "I  can't  be- 
lieve he  would  do  such  a  thing.  I'd  not  do  it  for  an 
enemy  of  mine,  and  why  should  Merriwell  do  it  for 
me?  He  knows  I'm  his  bitter  and  uncompromising 
foe." 

Flinging  the  book  aside,  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  sav- 
agely paced  the  floor. 

"There's  something  back  of  it,"  he  muttered.  "I 
know  it!  He  is  playing  some  sort  of  game,  and  I 
must  be  on  my  guard." 

Morgan  judged  others  by  his  own  measure,  which 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  understand  the  new  cap- 
tain of  the  eleven.  At  length,  happening  to  pause  be- 
fore a  mirror,  he  observed  the  black  scowl  on  his  face, 
and  his  manner  underwent  a  swift  change. 

"That  won't  do,  my  boy!"  he  exclaimed,  speaking 
to  the  reflection.  "You  have  forgotten  your  winning 
smile.  That  smile  is  worth  millions  to  you  if  you 
work  it.  It  wins  you  friends  whom  you  can  use  for 


n6          The  Mysterious  Mr.  King. 

allies  and  tools,  and  it  disguises  and  hides  your 
thoughts.  Smile,  Morgan — smile!" 

Standing  there,  he  did  smile,  and  the  mirror  showed 
him  a  handsome  youth  whose  face  bore  a  most  kindly 
and  winning  expression. 

"That  is  quite  enough  to  fool  the  keenest  of  them 
all,"  he  said.  "Has  it  fooled  Merriwell ?  Who  knows? 
Even  as  I  have  not  fathomed  him,  I  am  sure  he  has 
not  sounded  me.  He  won  in  our  first  struggle,  and 
it  may  be  that  he  thinks  I  have  given  up.  Ha !  ha !  If 
so,  he'll  find  out  his  error.  Dade  Morgan  never  gives 
up!" 

"That's  right,"  said  a  strange,  hollow  voice  that 
sent  a  chill  over  the  freshman,  despite  his  steady 
nerves.  "It's  in  the  blood.  Never  give  up!"  Al- 
though startled,  Morgan  had  not  betrayed  it  by  jump- 
ing and  turning. 

Still  facing  the  mirror,  he  saw  that  a  tall,  dark  man, 
wearing  a  long  coat  and  a  hat  slouched  over  his  eyes, 
had  entered  the  room  with  the  step  of  absolute  silence. 

"You  have  come,"  said  Morgan,  forcing  himself 
to  speak  with  perfect  steadiness.  "Sit  down." 

Then  he  slowly  turned  about  and  motioned  toward 
a  chair,  his  face  wearing  that  same  pleasant,  guileless 
smile.  The  man  did  not  obey  immediately,  but  stood 
with  folded  arms  intently  regarding  the  student. 

"One  bit  of  advice  I  have  to  give  you,"  he  finally 


The  Mysterious  Mr.  King.  117 

said,  his  voice  seeming  to  fill  the  room  with  queer 
echoes.  "Don't  talk  too  much  to  yourself.  Think,  but 
do  not  let  your  thoughts  pass  your  lips.  The  habit  of 
speaking  your  secrets  aloud,  even  to  yourself,  is  a  bad 
one.  Quit  it." 

"Thanks.  I  have  no  doubt  but  you  are  right.  Still, 
no  other  living  being  could  have  entered  this  room 
without  my  knowledge." 

"That  may  be  true,  but  even  walls  have  ears.  There 
was  a  time  when  I  had  the  habit  of  muttering  to  my- 
self, but  I  learned  my  lesson,  and  it  cost  me  dear.  'Let 
not  thy  right  hand  know  what  thy  left  hand  doeth.' ' 

"A  quotation  from  such  a  source  sounds  queer  from 
your  lips,  my  dear " 

"Stop!"  commanded  the  stranger,  with  suddenly 
outflung  hand.  "Be  careful!  Remember  my  name  is 
Hector  King." 

"My  dear  Mr.  King,"  Morgan  pursued,  as  if  he 
had  not  been  interrupted.  "Now,  if  there  were  in 
print  any  book  whose  author  was  Satan  himself,  it 
might  be  that  you " 

"That  will  do!  Don't  be  too  free  with  me!  You 
[were  expecting  me?" 

"Not  exactly;  still,  I  fancied  you  might  call." 

"I  am  here.  So,  despite  your  efforts,  despite  our 
schemes,  Frank  Merriwell  was  chosen  captain  of  the 
eleven  ?" 


ii8          The  Mysterious  Mr.  King. 

"Yes,  confound  him!"  said  Dade,  forgetting  his 
smile  for  a  moment. 

"He  is  powerful  here.  I  told  you — I  warned  you 
it  would  be  a  hard  struggle  to  drag  him  down.  But 
it  must  be  done!" 

"Don't  worry;  I'll  yet  succeed — with  your  aid,  my 
dear — Mr.  King." 

"With  my  aid;  you'll  need  it.  But  how  is  it  that 
you  were  given  an  opportunity  to  play  on  the  first 
eleven  ?" 

"Then  you  know  about  that?" 

"I  know  every  move  that  is  made." 

"Then  perhaps  you  can  answer  your  own  question. 
How  did  it  happen  that  I  was  taken  from  the  scrub 
and  placed  on  the  regular  team?" 

"You  do  not  know?" 

"No.  Frank  Merriwell  brought  over  three  of  his 
friends  from  the  scrub,  but  I  was  taken  onto  the  regu- 
lars at  the  same  time." 

"Well,  it  is  certain  he  had  no  hand  in  your  transfer." 

"On  the  contrary,  everything  seems  to  indicate  that 
he  did." 

"It  is  not  possible!" 

"So  I  thought  myself." 

"It  can't  be  true!" 

"I  have  asked  the  coach,  and  he  declares  that  I  was 
taken  onto  the  regulars  at  Merriwell's  particular  re- 
quest. More  than  that,  he  says  that  Merriwell  would 


The  Mysterious  Mr.  King.  119 

not  agree  to  give  the  sophomore,  Jack  ^.eady,  a  chance 
at  center  unless  I  was  placed  on  the  end  of  the  line 
opposite  Bart  Hodge.  You  are  clever  in  fathoming 
motives,  my  dear — Mr.  King;  fathom  that" 

Hector  King  began  to  pace  the  floor,  his  dark  face 
wearing  a  singular  expression.  All  at  once  he  paused, 
turning  sharply  and  fixing  his  penetrating,  changing 
eyes  on  Dade. 

"I  see  it!"  he  declared,  pointing  a  long  finger 
straight  at  the  waiting  freshman's  eyes.  "I  read  him !" 

"Well  ?"  questioned  Morgan,  calmly  sitting  down. 

"He  recognized  your  ability,  he  saw  that  you  were 
qualified  to  play  on  the  eleven." 

"Well?"  Dade  repeated. 

"He  has  pledged  himself  to  give  every  candidate  a 
fair  show." 

"Yes." 

"He  knew  that,  playing  on  the  scrub,  you  were  des- 
tined to  make  a  strong  showing  against  the  regulars. 
It  was  you  who  were  mainly  instrumental  in  causing 
the  regulars  to  show  up  so  poorly  against  the  scrub 
in  the  first  half  of  the  practise  game  to-day." 

"But  he  would  not " 

"Wait !  This  Merriwell  is  shrewd.  He  saw  where 
the  strength  of  the  scrub  lay,  and  it  was  his  first  day 
as  captain  of  the  regulars.  It  was  absolutely  necessary 
for  him  to  make  a  good  showing.  Every  move  of  his 
was  a  crafty  one.  He  weakened  the  scrub  by  his  great 


120          The  Mysterious  Mr.  King. 

change,  and  he  .strengthened  the  first  eleven.  He  used 
you  as  his  instrument  in  bringing  this  about ;  that's  all. 
You  helped  him  do  what  he  wished  to  do." 

"Perhaps  that  is  right." 

"Of  course  it  is  right.    There  is  no  doubt  of  it." 

"But  am  I  not  on  the  'Varsity  eleven?" 

"You  are  on  it  now,  but  you'll  not  remain  there. 
I  see  his  plan.  He  has  still  other  friends  on  the  scrub. 
One  week  from  Saturday  last  Yale  plays  Columbia, 
but  you  will  not  play  on  the  Yale  team." 

Morgan  leaped  to  his  feet. 

"Why  not?"  he  demanded. 

"Because  it  is  not  Merriwell's  policy  to  play  you. 
You  will  help  make  the  team  strong  in  practise,  but, 
at  the  last  moment,  he  will  fill  your  place  with  another 
— one  of  his  friends." 

"By  heavens!    I  believe  you  are  right!" 

"Ha!  ha!"  laughed  King  hollowly,  "I  know  I  am 
right.  Why,  you  are  permitting  this  fellow  to  use 
you  as  a  tool,  and  he  is  laughing  to  himself  over  your 
blindness." 

"Laughing,  is  he!"  grated  Morgan  furiously. 
"Well,  I'll  give  him  something  to  laugh  about!" 

"How?    What  can  you  do?" 

"Tell  me — tell  me  what  to  do!  I  can't  afford  to 
lose  my  place  on  the  eleven  by  playing  poorly  to  spoil 
his  plans." 


The  Mysterious  Mr.  King.  121 

"That's  true;  he  knows  it.  Oh,  yes,  he's  clever! 
But  we'll  checkmate  him." 

There  came  a  sudden  sharp  knock  on  the  door. 

"A  caller!"  whispered  King.  "I  must  not  be  seen 
here!" 

"Behind  those  curtains,"  whispered  Dade,  pointing 
to  some  portieres,  and  the  man  disappeared  from  view 
with  the  silence  of  a  phantom. 

"Come  in,"  Morgan  called,  when  he  had  settled  him- 
self in  a  comfortable  position  with  his  book  on  his 
lap. 

The  door  opened  and  Roland  Packard  strode  into 
the  room. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Packard,"  greeted  the  fresh- 
man, loking  up  with  that  winning  smile.  "This  is  a 
surprise." 

He  arose  and  offered  Roland  a  chair  with  the  ut- 
most courtesy. 

"Look  here,  Morgan,"  growled  the  visitor,  whose 
flushed  face  and  vile-smelling  breath  denoted  that  he 
had  been  drinking  heavily,  "I  didn't  take  you  for  a  soft 
mark!" 

"I  hope  I  am  not  a  soft  mark,"  said  Dade,  as  he 
again  sat  down,  Packard  having  accepted  the  chair. 

"It  looks  like  it — by  the  gods  of  war!  it  looks  like 
it !"  Roland  asserted. 

"In  what  way?"  coolly  inquired  Morgan. 


122          The  Mysterious  Mr.  King. 

"Why,  you  are  like  all  the  others;  you're  ready  to 
pick  up  with  Merriwell  at  the  first  opportunity." 

"I  fail  to  see  why  you  should  think  anything  of  the 
sort." 

"Why,  hang  it,  man!  didn't  you  jump  at  the  chance 
to  get  onto  the  eleven  with  him?" 

"Not  at  all.  I  have  been  working  to  make  the 
eleven  ever  since  college  opened.  It  was  my  object  be- 
fore I  came  to  Yale.  I  have  played  football  since  my 
first  year  at  high  school,  and,  away  back  in  those  early 
days,  my  one  hope  was  to  some  day  win  a  place  on  a 
college  team.  I  was  confident  that  I'd  make  the  Yale 
team  sooner  or  later.  I  fail  to  see  how  Frank  Merri- 
well has  anything  to  do  with  it." 

Packard's  lips  curled  in  a  sneer. 

"You  have  pretended  to  hate  Merriwell,  haven't 
you?" 

"You  know  very  well  that  I  do  not  love  him." 

"That's  it;  you  pretended  to  hate  him,  but  now 
you  say  you  do  not  love  him.  You  are  softening 
down." 

"You  never  made  a  bigger  mistake,  Mr.  Packard," 
asserted  Morgan,  still  smiling  serenely. 

"Well,  I  know  how  it  looks.  You  jumped  at  the 
chance  when  he  took  you  from  the  scrub  and  gave  you 
a  place  in  the  rush-line  of  the  'Varsity  team." 

"Why  shouldn't  I?  It's  just  what  I've  been  work- 
ing for." 


The  Mysterious  Mr.  King.  123 

"But,  Merriwell  did  it!"  persisted  Roland. 

"Mr.  Merriwell  did  not  personally  request  me  to 
play  with  the  regular  team." 

"Nor  did  he  personally  request  any  one  else  to  do 
so,  but  he  has  boasted  that  he'd  run  the  eleven  to 
please  himself,  and  would  play  such  men  on  it  as  he 
liked.  He  told  the  head  coach  to  try  you.  It's  that 
way  always.  He  gets  round  his  enemies  by  his  slick 
ways,  and  turns  them  into  friends.  He  has  performed 
the  same  trick  with  one  after  another  of  them.  He 
did  it  with  the  only  powerful  enemy  he  ever  had  in 
Yale,  Buck  Badger. 

"Badger  seemed  to  hate  Merriwell  with  a  fierce  and 
undying  hatred.  He  was  an  athlete  and  he  had  influ- 
ence. Merriwell  saw  it,  and  he  began  working  his 
hoodwinking  tricks  on  Badger.  He  made  the  fool  be- 
lieve he  was  indebted  to  Merriwell  for  many  favors, 
and,  little  by  little,  he  tied  up  Buck's  hands  till  he 
could  not  use  them.  Then  Badger  was  disarmed,  and 
he  lost  power  and  influence.  Instead  of  becoming  an 
independent  leader,  he  became  a  Merriwell  henchman, 
a  tool,  a  groveling,  a  nothing !  He  performed  brilliant 
athletic  feats,  but  Merriwell  was  his  leader,  and  Mer- 
riwell received  the  glory.  It  is  thus  that  Merriwell  has 
built  up  his  reputation  since  entering  college;  he  has 
taken  to  himself  the  credit  for  everything  done  by  the 
poor  fools  he  has  made  to  serve  his  purposes.  And 
you — you  are  falling  into  the  same  trap!" 


124          The  Mysterious  Mr.  King. 

"No!"  cried  Dade,  with  sudden  fire. 

"Yes !"  insisted  the  medical  student.  "You  may  not 
see  it,  but  I  do.  He  is  captain  of  the  eleven.  Last  year 
.Yale  failed  to  maintain  her  old-time  position  on  the 
gridiron  through  incompetent  management.  This  year 
it  is  almost  certain  she  will  win  back  her  lost  prestige, 
and  Frank  Merriwell  will  receive  the  glory.  Are  you 
going  to  play  into  his  hands  By  helping  him  do  this?" 

"Do  you  think  I'm  going  to  ruin  my  own  chance  of 
ever  getting  a  show  on  the  eleven  by  throwing  up  now  ? 
I'm  not  built  that  way,  Mr.  Packard." 

"Then  you  will  play  into  that  fellow's  hands?  I 
didn't  think  it  of  you!  That  is,  I  didn't  think  it  at 
first;  but  I  might  have  known  you  were  like  all  the 
others !" 

Packard  sprang  up,  with  a  furious  gesture,  and 
Morgan  rose  quickly,  facing  the  medical  student  across 
the  table.  The  freshman  was  cool  and  collected. 

"Don't  be  hasty,  Mr.  Packard,"  he  advised.  "Let's 
talk  this  matter  over  a  little." 

"What's  the  use  of  talking!"  cried  Roland.  "He's 
got  you!  You  are  on  the  eleven  now,  and  you'll  be 
bowing  and  scraping  to  him  pretty  soon.  Why,  it 
won't  be  long  before  you'll  be  trying  to  get  into  his 
flock!  Let  him  wipe  his  feet  on  you,  if  you  want  to! 
You're  just  what  I  called  you — a  soft  mark!" 

Morgan  went  round  the  table  at  a  bound  and  placed 
himself  between  Packard  and  the  door.  His  eyes  were 


The  Mysterious  Mr.  King.  125 

flashing  and  there  was  something  in  his  manner  that 
gave  Roland  a  queer  feeling  of  surprise.  The  smile 
had  vanished,  and  Bade  was  grim  and  stern. 

"Sit  down!"  he  commanded,  pointing  to  the  chair 
from  which  Packard  had  risen. 

Roland  hesitated. 

"Why  should  I?"  he  asked. 

"Because  I  say  so!    Sit  down!" 

The  medical  student  felt  like  seizing  Morgan  by  the 
collar  and  hurling  him  aside,  but  he  did  nothing  of 
the  sort.  Instead,  he  was  seized  by  a  sudden,  strange 
conviction  that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  his  master. 

"All  right,"  he  said,  forcing  a  broken  laugh.  "I'm 
in  no  great  hurry."  * 

And  he  sat  down ! 

Dade  walked  over  slowly  and  resumed  his  position; 
at  the  opposite  side  of  the  table,  but  he  did  not  take 
a  chair. 

"Packard,"  he  said,  "you  have  made  some  talk  to 
me  that  I  do  not  like.  I  know  I'm  nothing  but  a  fresh- 
man, but  we're  alone  here  in  this  room,  man  to  man, 
and,  were  you  any  one  else  on  earth,  I'd  not  let  you 
go  till  I  had  given  you  a  blazing  good  thrashing.  As 
it  is,  I  shall  overlook  your  words  this  time,  and  I  do 
so  because  I  am  convinced  of  your  real  and  undying 
hatred  of  Frank  Merriwell." 

"You  might  have  been  convinced  of  that  long  ago," 
said  Roland. 


126          The  Mysterious  Mr.  King. 

"Being  satisfied,"  Dade  pursued,  as  if  the  visitor 
had  not  spoken,  "I'm  willing  to  make  some  talk  to  you. 
As  I  told  you,  I'm  not  a  fool  enough  to  ruin  my  own 
chances,  now  that  I'm  on  the  eleven.  Frank  Merri- 
well  may  have  taken  me  on  to  use  me  as  his  tool,  but 
he'll  find  he  has  made  a  big  blunder.  I  shall  hold  my 
place — if  I  can.  But  the  very  fact  that  I  am  on  the 
eleven,  of  which  he  is  captain,  makes  it  even  easier  for 
me  to  strike  him.  I  don't  know  at  the  present  time 
just  how  I'll  work  the  trick,  but  my  plans  will  develop 
later." 

"You  might  do  him  up  in  a  scrimmage!"  hissed 
Packard.  "It  would  not  be  so  hard.  A  knife  thrust — 
who  could  tell  who  did  it?" 

"Would  you  do  a  thing  like  that  ?" 

"Give  me  a  chance!    That's  all  I  ask!" 

"But  I'm  known  as  his  enemy,  and  it  would  be  easy 
to  trace  the  thing  to  me — to  pin  it  onto  me." 

"I'm  known  as  his  enemy,  too;  but  give  me  a 
\  chance.  If  I  were  on  the  eleven,  if  I  played  the  posi- 
tion my  Sunday-school  brother  is  filling,  I'd  find  an 
opportunity  in  the  very  first  game." 

"But  a  knife — that's  too  dangerous." 

"Oh,  there  are  other  things!  I've  seen  chances  in 
football  scrimmages  where  one  man  could  break  the 
neck  of  another  in  the  slickest  way.  All  that's  neces- 
sary is  to  know  how  to  do  the  trick  and  to  have  the 
nerve." 


The  Mysterious  Mr.  King.  127 

"Do  you  know  how?" 

"Do  I  ?  Well,  I'm  a  medical  student,  and  I've  made 
a  special  study  of  such  tricks.  I  know  just  how  to 
get  an  arm  about  a  man's  neck,  a  hand  under  his  chin, 
give  a  twist  and  a  wrench — and  it's  done !  Hundreds 
of  such  chances  occur  in  football-games.  Who  could 
say  it  was  done  intentionally?" 

Dade  Morgan's  eyes  were  dancing  with  a  strange 
light. 

"You  are  a  man  who  hates  after  my  own  heart!" 
he  cried.  "No  knife  business;  but  this  other  is  all 
right." 

"It's  all  right,  but  I  have  no  chance  to  work  it.  You 
have,  Morgan !  Will  you  do  it  ?" 

"I  don't  know  how." 

"I'll  teach  you!     Will  you  do  it?" 

"Wait?  To-morrow  I  will  give  you  your  answer. 
Packard,  I  wish  you  were  on  the  eleven." 

"But  I'm  not." 

"I  once  mistook  your  brother  for  you." 

"Many  do  that." 

"Give  me  time  to  think  of  this  matter.  Good 
night." 

It  was  a  dismissal.  From  another  freshman  Pack- 
ard would  not  have  taken  such  a  thing ;  but  he  had  felt 
Morgan's  strange  power  to  command,  and  he  rose 
quietly,  moving  toward  the  door. 

"Don't  get  squeamish  thinking  of  it,"  he  entreated. 


128          The  Mysterious  Mr.  King. 

"If  I  made  some  rough  talk  about  your  being  a  soft 
mark,  forget  it.  I  was  pretty  hot  when  I  came  in. 
Won't  you  come  out  with  me  and  have  a  drink?" 

"Not  to-night,  thank  you.  Haven't  the  time  to 
spare.  Take  one  for  me.  Good  night." 

Packard  went  out,  and  Dade  closed  and  locked  the 
door  behind  him.  When  he  turned  about,  Hector 
King  was  sitting  beside  the  table  on  which  burned  the 
student's  lamp. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

READY   FOR   THE   DEED. 

"An  ally  worth  having,"  said  King,  "yet  one  who 
should  be  directed  and  governed.  His  fierce  hatred 
might  lead  him  to  make  false  steps." 

"You  heard  all?" 

"Every  word." 

"What  do  you  think?" 

"Many  things.  He  spoke  of  a  brother  who  is  on 
the  eleven." 

"Yes,  his  twin  brother." 

"They  look  alike?" 

"So  much  alike  that  it  is  sometimes  almost  impos- 
sible to  tell  one  from  the  other.  Besides  that,  they; 
have  a  trick  of  dressing  alike.  People  who  know  therri 
intimately  are  often  deceived." 

"Their  names?" 

"This  one  is  Roland,  the  other  is  Oliver." 

"Are  they  alike  in  other  respects  besides  looks?" 

"Unfortunately  not;  they  are  as  dissimilar  as  two 
persons  can  be.  Oliver  is  a  goodie." 

"Then  he  could  not  easily  be  influenced  to  strike 
Merriwell?" 

"No;  of  his  own  free  will  he  would  not  think  of 
doing  such  a  thing.  He  is  one  of  Merriwell's  ad- 
mirers." 


130  Ready  for  the  Deed. 

King  was  silent  for  some  moments  as  if  buried  in 
thought,  and  the  young  freshman  watched  him  closely. 
When  the  man  looked  up,  his  shifty  eyes  were  con- 
tracted till  they  seemed  strange  and  fierce  and  in- 
human. 

"I  have  not  planned  to  kill  Merriwell  at  a  single 
stroke,"  he  said,  his  voice  awakening  queer  echoes  in 
the  room;  "but  everything  seems  leading  to  that." 

Despite  himself,  Bade  paled  somewhat.  For  all  that 
he  had  seemed  so  cool  about  it  when  Packard  was 
talking  of  breaking  the  neck  of  Frank  Merriwell,  Mor- 
gan had  not  fancied  such  a  thing  would  be  carried  out. 
Now,  however,  he  understood  the  full  seriousness  of  it. 

"But  it  was  your  plan  to  injure  Merriwell — to  drag 
him  down  step  by  step  and  little  by  little,"  he  hurriedly 
said. 

"I  know,"  nodded  the  strange  visitor;  "but  he  is 
mounting  steadily  upward.  At  orie  stroke,  in  the  midst 
of  his  glory,  he  may  be  left  dead  on  the  football-field. 
Ha !  ha !  That  blow  would  tell — that  would  wring  the 
heart  I  long  to  crush !" 

Bade  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"It  can  be  done  without  your  hand  appearing  in  it," 
King  asserted.  "In  fact,  you  need  have  nothing  to 
do  with  it." 

The  freshman  breathed  easier. 

"How  can  you  bring  it  about  ?"  he  asked,  curious  to 


Ready  for  the  Deed.  131 

know  the  scheming  of  this  strange  man  to  whom  he 
seemed  somehow  attached. 

"Through  the  brothers." 

"How?" 

"I  know  how.  I  must  see  this  Oliver.  I  must  dis- 
cover a  way  of  distinguishing  one  from  the  other." 

"You'll  make  a  serious  mistake  if  you  try  to  influ- 
ence him  to  injure  Merriwell." 

King  arose,  drawing  his  tall  figure  erect. 

"I'll  make  no  mistake,"  he  declared.  "I  have  re- 
solved upon  this  plan.  Many  serious  accidents  happen 
on  the  football-field.  This  will  seem  to  be  one  of 
them;  but  in  truth  one  of  the  Packards  shall  kill  Frank 
Merriwell  the  day  that  Yale  plays  Columbia !" 


Little  did  Frank  Merriwell  dream  of  the  black  plot 
against  his  life.  His  heart  was  in  the  work  of  put- 
ting the  best  possible  team  on  the  field  for  Yale,  and 
day  after  day  he  trained  and  worked  with  the  men  on 
the  field. 

The  coaches  were  enthusiastic  over  the  remarkable 
progress  Yale  was  making  thus  early  in  the  season. 
Some  were  inclined  to  attribute  it  to  Mike  Murphy's 
new  policy  of  pulling  the  heavy  men  back  from  the 
line;  but  more  declared  that  the  rapid  advancement 
came  through  the  spirit  and  vim  which  Merriwell  had 


132  Ready  for  the  Deed. 

infused  into  the  eleven.  Besides,  there  were  still  two 
heavy  men  in  the  line,  the  guards,  Beckwith  and 
Browning. 

For  once  in  his  life,  Browning  worked  like  a  slave. 
He  was  determined  to  keep  his  flesh  down,  though  he 
feared  it  might  be  a  hard  task  now  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  lay  aside  his  pipe.  Many  a  time,  having  a 
phenomenal  appetite,  he  left  the  training-table  feeling, 
as  he  expressed  it,  "as  empty  as  a  bass  drum."  Always 
the  possessor  of  gigantic  strength,  this  severe  and  per- 
sistent work  seemed  to  make  him  stronger  and  more 
formidable  than  ever.  In  response  to  Merry's  words 
of  encouragement  he  would  say : 

"I  wouldn't  do  it  for  any  other  two-legged  man  on 
earth,  but  you're  captain  of  the  Yale  team,  and  you 
must  come  out  on  top  of  the  heap." 

Another  man  of  wonderful  strength  on  the  team 
was  Starbright,  the  young  Hercules  half-back.  Star- 
bright  was  even  lighter  on  his  feet  than  Browning, 
could  kick  better,  and  had  just  as  much  bulldog  grit. 

Not  a  few  had  prophesied  that  the  young  Andover 
man  could  not  retain  the  position  that  had  been  given 
him,  having  such  rivals  as  Deerfield,  Hazleton,  and 
Pinkney;  but  no  practise  game  passed  that  the  fair- 
haired  giant  did  not  make  his  hold  stronger  by  some 
piece  of  work  that  won  the  admiration  of  the  old- 
timers. 

At  quarter  Oliver  Packard  demonstrated  his  fitness 


Ready  for  the  Deed.  133 

by  handling  the  ball  with  cleverness,  taking  it  surely 
from  the  center,  passing  it  swiftly  and  accurately,  and 
being  constantly  alive  to  the  movements  of  the  work 
cut  out  for  the  team. 

Bingham,  the  big  full-back,  could  kick  and  run 
handsomely  and  capture  a  long  punt  in  fine  style.  It 
was  arranged  that  he  should  divide  the  most  of  the 
kicking  with  Merry. 

The  two  tackles  were  Bertrand  Defarge  and  Berlin 
Carson.  Defarge  was  no  friend  of  Merriwell's,  and, 
to  Bart's  annoyance,  played  next  to  Hodge  on  the  line. 
He  had  tried  to  make  the  team  before,  but  never  till 
now  had  he  been  given  a  chance  on  the  first  eleven. 

Carson,  the  young  Coloradian,  surprised  even  his 
friends.  It  had  been  his  object  to  make  the  nine,  but, 
encouraged  by  Frank,  he  had  tried  for  the  eleven,  and 
now  he  was  to  have  a  show  thus  early  in  the  season. 

In  many  respects,  the  ends  seemed  alike.  They  were 
Hodge  and  Morgan,  both  dark,  compact,  supple,  and 
fierce  as  untamed  tigers.  And  they  hated  each  other 
with  a  hatred  that  was  unforgiving  and  undying.  In- 
deed, Hodge  had  threatened  to  withdraw  from  the 
team  immediately  if  Morgan  was  not  dropped,  and  it 
was  only  through  expostulations  and  urgings  that 
Merry  induced  Bart  to  remain. 

"You'll  be  sorry  for  it,  Merriwell,"  Hodge  grimly 
declared.  "See  if  I'm  not  right.  That  fellow  is  a 


134  Ready  for  the  Deed. 

scoundrel,  and  his  place  is  in  the  penitentiary,  instead 
of  on  the  Yale  football-team." 

"But  you  must  acknowledge  that  he  fills  the  posi- 
tion handsomely,"  said  Frank. 

"In  practise,  perhaps;  but  he's  not  to  be  trusted. 
Mark  what  I  say.  He  hates  you,  and  he'd  do  any- 
thing to  injure  you." 

"At  the  same  time,  I  believe  he  will  fight  like  a  fiend 
to  aid  the  team  in  winning." 

"Perhaps  he  may;  but  I'm  not  sure  of  that.  The 
first  game  will  tell.  He  has  plotted  against  you,  and  I 
have  no  idea  he's  given  up  his  underhand  tricks." 

"He  has  failed  in  every  move  made  against  me,  and 
he'll  fail  in  the  future." 


It  was  the  morning  of  the  day  before  the  Yale  game 
with  Columbia.  In  an  hour  the  'Varsity  eleven  would 
take  the  train  for  New  York.  In  his  room  Oliver 
Packard  was  packing  a  dress-suit  case  and  preparing 
to  start. 

Without  warning,  the  door  opened  and  a  tall,  dark 
man  entered  with  noiseless  step. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  stranger,  and  his  hol- 
low voice  caused  Oliver  to  start  and  whirl  about. 

"Hello!"  exclaimed  the  young  medical  student. 
"Who  are  you?  What  are  you  doing  here?" 

"I  believe  your  name  is  Oliver  Packard?"  said  the 


Ready  for  the  Deed.  135 

stranger.  Somehow,  the  young  medic  was  seized  by 
a  sensation  of  danger. 

"That's  my  name,  sir,"  he  answered  stiffly. 

"Ah,  yes ;  I  have  some  business  with  you." 

"Then  you'll  have  to  be  brief  about  it,  for  I  can 
spare  but  a  very  few  moments.  Your  name  is " 

"It  is  concerning  your  mother,"  the  visitor  mur- 
mured. 

Packard  stiffened. 

"My  mother!"  he  exclaimed,  his  cheeks  flushing. 
"Why  should  you " 

"Softly,  softly,"  said  the  man.    "It  is  not  serious." 

Oliver  showed  instant  alarm. 

"Is  mother  ill?"  he  questioned.  "Who  are  you? 
How  does  it  happen  you  come  to  me  about  her?" 

His  suspicions  were  fully  alive. 

"It  is  possible,"  said  the  man,  "that  your  mother 
may  have  told  you  of  an  uncle  who  was  supposed  to 
have  died  in  India." 

"Yes,  I  have  heard  her  speak  of  such  a  brother. 
Are  you — you  cannot  be  that  brother — my  uncle?" 

"Sit  down,"  directed  the  stranger,  with  a  gentle  yet 
commanding  wave  of  one  hand  toward  a  chair  beside 
a  table.  "It  will  take  but  a  few  moments  for  me  to 
explain." 

Although  he  felt  like  refusing  to  be  seated,  some- 
thing seemed  to  draw  Oliver  to  that  chair,  and  he 
sank  upon  it.  The  stranger  sat  down  on  the  opposite 


1 36  Ready  for  the  Deed. 

side  of  the  table,  fixing  his  remarkable  eyes  fairly  on 
those  of  the  student. 

"Ah,  yes!"  he  said,  his  hollow  voice  seeming  to 
come  from  a  distance.  "You  have  but  a  slight  re- 
semblance to  your  mother." 

"Remember  my  time  is  limited,"  said  Oliver  im- 
patiently. "I  must  catch  a  train." 

"Look  straight  at  me  that  I  may  better  study  your 
features,"  came  placidly,  almost  soothingly  from  the 
man.  "Your  mother  is  not  ill,  but  she  requested  me 
to  bring  you  a  message.  Don't  take  your  eyes  away. 
She  fears  you  are  working  too  hard.  She  says  that 
you  must  have  plenty  of  rest.  I  can  see  that  you 
are  tired  now." 

Oliver  Packard  felt  a  strange  sensation  creeping  over 
him,  and  now  he  could  not  take  his  eyes  from  those 
remarkable  orbs  even  if  he  so  desired.  Something 
held  him  staring  thus,  while  he  felt  that  a  part  of  him- 
self was  passing  from  his  body.  His  will  was  slip- 
ping from  him  and  being  replaced  by  that  of  another. 

Then  it  was  that  he  sought  to  throw  off  the  spell 
that  was  coming  upon  him,  but  those  eyes  held  him 
like  bands  of  iron.  He  could  look  into  them  and 
see  strange  shadow-figures  like  flitting  ghosts,  and 
he  was  fascinated  as  the  bird  is  fascinated  by  the 
eyes  of  a  serpent.  Still  that  hollow,  voice,  seeming 
to  come  from  far  away,  sounded  in  his  ears : 

"You  shall  have  the  rest  that  you  greatly  need.    It 


Ready  for  the  Deed.  137 

will  do  your  body  and  soul  good.  It  will  be  sweet  and 
soothing.  You  must  fall  into  gentle  slumber,  from 
which  you  will  awaken  when  I  bid  you.  So  close  your 
eyes  and  sleep — sleep — sleep." 

The  eyes  of  the  student  drooped  and  closed  at  the 
command  of  the  mysterious  visitor,  and  the  last  word 
sounded  faint  as  the  whisper  of  a  summer  breeze  amid 
green  leaves. 

The  stranger  leaned  across  the  table  and  made  some 
mysterious  passes  before  the  face  of  the  youth,  a  low, 
terrible  laugh  sounding  from  his  lips. 

He  then  rose  from  the  chair,  lifted  Oliver  in  his 
arms,  bore  him  into  the  adjoining  bedroom,  and  placed 
him  on  the  bed.  When  this  was  done,  he  advanced  to 
the  door  that  opened  into  the  passage,  flung  it  wide, 
and  said : 

"It  is  done.    Come  in." 

Roland  Packard  came  in  immediately. 

"Where  is  he?"  he  asked,  looking  around.  The 
man  motioned  toward  the  other  room,  and  Roland 
hastened  in  and  stood  beside  the  bed  on  which  his  twin 
brother  lay. 

The  mysterious  stranger  came  and  stood  near.  Ro- 
land wheeled  about,  fiercely  snarling: 

"If  you  have  hurt  him,  I'll  have  your  heart." 

"He  is  unharmed,"  assured  the  man;  "but  he  will 
sleep  there  till  I  awaken  him.  When  you  leave  this 
room  and  lock  the  door,  he  will  be  safe.  No  one  will 


138  Ready  for  the  Deed. 

disturb  him,  for  it  is  supposed  that  both  of  you  will 
be  in  New  York  during  the  game.  I  have  given  you 
your  opportunity  to  finish  Frank  Merriwell.  You  will 
find  a  chance  during  the  game  to  break  his  neck,  and 
no  one  can  ever  dream  it  was  anything  but  an  accident. 
Get  into  your  brother's  clothes  and  hasten  to  the  sta- 
tion. Be  on  your  guard  not  to  betray  yourself  in  any 
way." 

"Trust  me,"  said  Roland.  "I  have  played  Oliver 
before." 

"Are  you  sure  your  nerve  will  not  fail  you  when 
the  time  comes?"  demanded  the  stranger. 

"I  know  it  will  not,"  declared  Roland.  "Frank 
Merriwell  is  as  good  as  finished." 

"Then,"  said  the  stranger,  striding  softly  to  the 
door,  "farewell  till  the  deed  is  done." 

He  was  gone,  and  Roland  Packard  was  left  to  carry 
out  the  dastardly  plot. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
"THE  DEED  is  DONE!" 

Yale  had  sent  a  great  crowd  of  rooters  to  New 
York,  for  the  result  of  the  contest  between  these  two 
teams  the  previous  year  had  awakened  all  the  pride  of 
Old  Eli.  The  score  must  be  wiped  out,  and  Yale  must 
regain  her  lost  prestige. 

Up  Fifth  Avenue  rolled  a  tally-ho  coach  bearing 
a  merry  party  of  students  and  girls,  all  wearing  the 
Yale  blue.  On  the  coach  were  Elsie  Bellwood  and 
Inza  Burrage,  already  throbbing  with  the  wild  thrill 
of  the  occasion,  their  faces  flushed,  their  eyes  bright. 
Harry  Rattleton  was  with  them,  for  he  had  turned  up 
in  time  to  take  in  this  game,  and,  try  as  he  might  to 
talk  straight,  he  seemed  to  get  his  sentences  twisted 
worse  than  usual. 

"It's  a  glorious  eel  for  Old  Dayli,"  he  chattered;  "I 
mean  a  glorious  day  for  Old  Eli !  We'll  stug  without 
a  wingall — no,  win  without  a  struggle !  Solumbia  will 
be  in  the  coop — rats !  Columbia  will  be  in  the  soup !" 

"Let  it  go!"  laughed  Inza.  "Yale  will  put  Columbia 
in  a  coop  to-day." 

"What  if  Yale  should  lose!"  breathed  Elsie. 

"Lose!"  cried  the  dark-eyed  girl.  "With  Franlc 
Merriwell  captain  of  the  team!  Impossible!" 

"But  he  has  enemies  on  the  team." 


140  'The  Deed  is  Done!" 

"Morgan  and  Defarge — yes.  But  Frank  says  those 
men  will  sacrifice  their  limbs,  their  very  lives,  if  nec- 
essary, to  win  for  Yale ;  and  when  Frank  says  a  thing 
like  that,  he  knows  what  he's  talking  about.  Yale  can't 
lose  to-day!" 

"That's  right !"  cried  the  delighted  students.  "Hur- 
rah for  Inza  Burrage  and  Yale !" 

The  coach  was  able  to  obtain  a  splendid  position 
from  which  the  party  it  bore  could  witness  the  game 
and  all  the  exciting  events  of  the  great  day. 

The  crowd  was  a  picture  for  the  eye.  Everywhere 
were  flags  and  streamers,  chrysanthemums  and  vio- 
lets, bright  neckties  and  sunshades,  flashing  the  rival 
colors  back  in  an  ever-moving  kaleidescope. 

In  the  midst  of  the  great  crowd  of  spectators,  hav- 
ing obtained  a  particular  vantage-point,  was  a  dark- 
faced  man  with  powerful,  piercing  eyes.  His  hollow- 
cheeked  face  was  calm  and  tranquil,  but  it  seemed  that 
there  was  upon  it  a  look  of  satisfaction  and  anticipated 
triumph. 

Suddenly  a  great  roar  of  welcome  went  up  from 
students  and  spectators.  Out  o  Ao  the  field  rushed  two 
squads  of  shaggy-headed,  stocky-looking  lads.  A  mo- 
ment later  they  were  indulging  in  warming-up  practise, 
unmindful  of  the  thunders  of  greeting  from  the  mass 
of  humanity  round  the  field. 

Things  moved  swiftly  now.  A  little  group  drew 
aside,  a  coin  was  flipped,  and  the  choice  fell  to  Yale. 


The  Deed  is  Done !" 


141 


A  sudden  lull  fell  on  the  crowd  as  the  two  teams 
lined  up  for  the  kick-off.  This  was  the  line-up  of  both 
elevens : 


t-.E.     L.T       L.C     >-«.      .       B.C 


There  was  a  sudden  wild  burst  of  sound,  for  Co- 
lumbia's center  had  driven  the  pigskin  down  the  field 
against  the  wind.  The  ball  wiggled  and  squirmed 
along  in  the  teeth  of  the  breeze  and  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Packard,  Yale's  quarter-back.  Without  attempting 


142  "The  Deed  is  Done!" 

to  return  the  kick,  Packard  tried  to  run,  but  he  was 
downed  by  Crosby  before  he  had  made  five  yards. 

Both  the  Yale  and  Columbia  stands  burst  into  a 
roar,  but  the  play  was  not  allowed,  for  Columbia's  line 
had  been  off-side  on  the  kick-off,  so  the  ball  was  given 
to  North  for  another  try. 

Again  Columbia's  big  center  kicked  the  yellow  egg 
with  the  full  strength  of  his  powerful  leg,  but  again 
the  wind  seemed  to  catch  and  destroy  the  momentum 
of  the  ball;  for  a  second  time  Packard  caught  it  on 
Yale's  twenty-five-yard  line,  and  was  downed  in  his 
tracks,  this  time  by  Delome,  the  big  guard. 

Then  the  two  lines  swung  into  action.  Merriwell's 
very  first  play  was  to  give  the  ball  to  the  young  fresh- 
man giant,  Starbright,  for  a  plunge  against  Columbia's 
right  tackle. 

Starbright  hit  the  line  like  a  battering-ram,  and 
fairly  plowed  through  it  for  seven  yards,  which  set  the 
Yale  rooters  wild. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  a  variation  of  this 
would  have  followed  the  first  down ;  but  Merry  seemed 
satisfied  with  Starbright's  showing,  and  another  mass 
play  was  tried,  but  without  gain. 

Then  Defarge  was  called  back  of  the  line,  appar- 
ently for  some  new  interference  formation.  However, 
a  surprise  play  was  attempted,  for  Defarge  tried  a 
short  kick. 


"The  Deed  is  Done  I"  143 

This  time  Columbia  was  on  her  mettle,  and  it 
seemed  that  her  entire  line  was  upon  Yale's  tackle 
before  he  could  kick.  Simpson  plunged  at  Defarge 
and  partly  blocked  the  kick. 

Beckwith  was  well  in  the  play,  and,  despite  his  size, 
showed  remarkable  agility,  recovering  the  ball  on  Co- 
lumbia's fifty-yard  line,  thus  saving  it  for  Yale. 

It  was  fancied  then  that  Merriwell  would  not  im- 
mediately give  Defarge  another  chance.  The  Chicker- 
ing  crowd  declared  that  Defarge's  failure  would  give 
Merriwell  an  excuse  to  put  in  a  substitute  as  soon  as  it 
could  be  done.  But  Frank,  realizing  that  this  was  only 
a  practise  game,  decided  to  try  some  of  the  new  plays 
he  had  invented,  and  test  their  usefulness.  For  this 
reason  he  had  resorted  to  the  trick  kick  by  Defarge. 

He  now  signaled  for  a  kick  from  Bingham,  and 
the  big  full-back  sent  the  ball  sailing  down  the  field. 

Columbia  secured  the  leather  on  her  twenty-yard 
line,  and  lined  up  for  her  first  assault  on  the  Yale  de- 
fense. The  rooters  for  the  blue-and-white  opened  with 
a  wild  burst  of  cheering  to  give  the  men  courage  and 
vim. 

A  moment  of  hesitation,  a  sudden  snap  of  the  ball, 
a  pass,  and  then  Haverlock  was  sent  crashing  against 
Yale's  left  guard,  which  position  was  thought  to  be 
weak. 

Browning  met  the  brunt  of  this  furious  assault,  and 


144  "The  Deed  is  Done !" 

he  stood  like  a  firmly  rooted  tree.  Not  a  foot  could 
the  blue-and-white  make,  and  so  the  ball  went  down. 

Merriwell's  new  men  were  being  tried  one  after  an- 
other, and  they  were  showing  up  in  a  manner  to  please 
the  crowd. 

Columbia's  next  move  was  to  give  the  ball  to  Pen- 
nington  for  a  try  at  her  opponent's  left  end.  The 
interference  was  of  a  high  order.  Hodge  was  pock- 
eted, and  Pennington  seemed  to  go  right  through  De- 
farge  for  a  gain  of  twelve  yards  before  he  was  brought 
violently  to  the  ground  by  Merriwell. 

Then  cheers  for  Pennington  and  Merriwell  floated 
from  opposite  sides  of  the  field,  and  the  colors  of  both 
teams  waved  wildly. 

Captain  Light  seemed  still  to  have  faith  in  Haver- 
lock,  for  twice  in  swift  succession  was  he  sent  against 
Yale's  right  tackle,  and  both  times  he  was  hustled  back 
without  a  gain.  Dade  Morgan  played  a  prominent 
part  in  breaking  up  the  Columbia  interference,  but 
thus  far  he  had  been  given  no  opportunity  to  particu- 
larly distinguish  himself. 

With  two  downs  against  her,  Columbia  attempted 
a  mass  play  against  the  center,  believing  that  such 
swift  and  persistent  hammering  on  one  point  would 
have  its  effect.  The  ball  was  passed  to  Simpson,  and 
he  went  at  Yale's  left  guard  in  a  crashing  tackle  play. 

Again  Browning  met  the  brunt  of  this  fierce  assault, 
again  Dade  Morgan  dived  into  Columbia's  formation 


'The  Deed  is  Done!"  145 

as  if  he  were  three  or  four  rushers  combined  in  one, 
and  again  the  ball  went  down  without  advancing.  Co- 
lumbia had  failed  to  make  the  necessary  gain  and  the 
ball  was  given  to  Yale  close  to  Columbia's  thirty-yard 
line. 

Again  Merriwell  gave  Starbright  a  chance  to  see 
what  he  could  do,  and  twice  he  plunged  into  Colum- 
bia's left  tackle,  making  slight  gains. 

This,  however,  was  not  entirely  satisfactory,  and 
the  wind  was  too  tempting  not  to  take  advantage  of  it, 
so  Bingham  was  once  more  called  upon  for  a  kick. 
With  the  kick,  both  Hodge  and  Morgan  went  leaping 
down  the  field  under  the  ball,  but  the  wind  was  so 
strong  that  it  was  carried  beyond  them  and  over  Co- 
lumbia's line.  Haverlock  dropped  on  it,  and  the  ball 
was  Columbia's. 

Now  the  blue-and-white,  despite  the  disadvantage  of 
having  a  strong  wind  to  go  against,  attempted  a  kick. 
Bowling  smashed  the  leather  furiously,  and  it  went 
twisting  and  writhing  along  like  a  serpent. 

Packard  got  under  it,  but  the  twisting  motion  de- 
ceived him,  and  he  fumbled  the  catch,  so  that  North 
secured  the  ball  on  Yale's  forty-yard  line. 

Although  all  the  fighting  had  been  in  Columbia's 
territory,  Yale  was  not  doing  the  work  expected  of 
her,  and  Merriwell's  enemies  found  the  opportunity 
for  criticism  and  sneering. 

Pennington  charged  like  a  mad  bull  at  Beckwith,  but 


146  "The  Deed  is  Done!" 

Yale's  right  guard  stood  firm  as  Browning  had  stood 
and  no  gain  was  made.  On  a  second  trial,  Pennington 
hit  Yale's  center  fair  and  hard,  making  three  yards. 
Simpson  quickly  added  four  yards  to  this,  and  then  the 
ball  went  to  Bowling,  who  was  literally  hurled  through 
a  formation  play  for  four  more  yards. 

These  gains  were  enough  to  set  the  rooters  for  the 
blue-and-white  wild,  and  they  cheered  madly.  Dowl- 
ing's  following  attempt,  however,  was  blocked  and 
held,  and  there  the  gains  came  to  an  end.  Columbia's 
fiercest  efforts  failed  to  secure  the  required  distance, 
and  the  dark  blue  took  the  ball  again. 

"What's  the  matter  with  Merriwell?"  was  the  ques- 
tion. "He  has  the  wind  with  him ;  why  doesn't  he  do 
some  kicking?" 

"If  Columbia  can  do  this  kind  of  work  against  the 
wind,  what  will  she  do  when  she  has  the  wind  in  her 
favor?" 

Still  Frank  persisted  in  his  policy  of  giving  the  new 
men  trials,  and  the  tide  of  battle  ebbed  and  flowed 
without  anything  sensational  happening  till,  on  a  doub- 
le pass,  Haverlock  got  round  Yale's  right  end,  dodged 
Beckwith,  escaped  Merriwell's  hand  by  an  inch,  and 
went  tearing  toward  the  Yale  goal-line  with  a  clear 
field  ahead  of  him. 

Frank  might  have  run  Haverlock  down,  but  Hil- 
brook  shouldered  him  at  just  the  right  moment,  and 
the  great  throng  of  people  went  wild  as  Columbia's 


'The  Deed  is  Done  I"  147 

half-back  sped  on,  both  teams  stringing  out  behind 
him. 

"It's  a  touch-down  for  Columbia!"  shrieked  hun- 
dreds of  voices. 

Then  a  shaggy-headed,  fair-haired  giant  came  out 
of  the  midst  of  a  knot  of  men  and  cut  down  on  Haver- 
lock  at  an  angle,  covering  ground  in  flying  leaps  that 
seemed  perfectly  marvelous. 

"Starbright !"  was  the  cry.  "Starbright!  Star- 
bright!" 

"He  can't  catch  him !" 

"He'll  do  it !    Look !  he's  gaining !" 

Yale's  only  hope  of  preventing  a  touch-down  rested 
on  the  Andover  giant,  and,  like  a  bounding  lion,  Dick 
Starbright  pounced  on  Haverlock  and  crushed  him 
to  earth  exactly  five  yards  from  Yale's  line. 

Although  thus  balked,  Columbia  had  the  scent  of 
victory  in  her  nostrils,  and  she  was  determined  to  do 
or  die.  Pennington  was  driven  at  Yale's  line  like  a 
battering-ram. 

Right  there  Yale  displayed  her  old-time  staying 
qualities  in  such  an  emergency,  and  Pennington  might 
as  well  have  charged  the  granite  foundations  of  Van- 
derbilt  Hall.  Twice  he  went  hammering  against 
Yale's  center,  and  twice  he  was  held  without  making 
an  inch. 

The  Yale  men  were  singing,  and  that  song  floated 
over  the  field  to  the  ears  of  the  young  gladiators  who 


148  'The  Deed  is  Done!" 

were  battling  for  her  glory.  Not  a  man  was  there 
among  them  all  but  would  have  died  right  there  at 
that  moment  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check ! 

Some  have  wondered  that  college  men  displayed 
such  courage  in  the  war  with  Spain,  for  many  college 
youths  there  were  who  went  to  the  front  and  covered 
themselves  with  glory  in  battle.  A  few  were  with  the 
Rough  Riders,  some  who  had  put  heart  and  soul  into 
many  a  football  battle,  and  no  desperado  from  the 
mountains  and  plains  outdid  them  in  coolness,  heroism, 
and  the  ability  to  endure  hardships.  On  the  gridiron 
they  had  learned  their  lessons  well,  such  lessons  as 
make  men  and  soldiers  of  the  highest  type. 

Furious  because  of  her  failures,  Columbia  again 
shot  Dowling  out  of  a  revolving  formation;  but  Yale 
tore  the  interference  to  pieces  and  scattered  it  like 
chaff,  holding  the  enemy  for  the  third  time. 

The  ball  was  lost,  and  with  it  went  Columbia's  hope 
of  scoring  then. 

Now  Frank  tried  a  masked  play  that  fooled  Co- 
lumbia completely.  Half  the  opposing  men  thought 
Merriwell  had  the  ball,  but  he  had  passed  it  under 
cover  so  skilfully  and  swiftly  that  Carson  was  per- 
mitted to  break  through  and  make  twenty  yards  while 
Frank  was  hurled  to  the  ground.  Pennington  alone 
discovered  the  trick  in  time  to  tackle  Berlin,  and  pre- 
vent a  run  that  would  have  been  a  record-breaker. 

Back,  back,  back  Yale  hammered  the  enemy,  who 


'The  Deed  is  Done !"  149 

fought  stubbornly  for  every  foot  of  ground,  but  could 
not  stop  the  determined  onslaught  till  the  ball  was 
again  near  the  center  of  the  field. 

Then  a  fumble  by  Packard  permitted  Delome  to 
come  through  and  fall  on  the  leather. 

Columbia  had  it  again,  but  all  her  great  advantage 
had  been  lost.  Sensations  were  not  at  an  end,  how- 
ever, for,  with  the  second  attempt,  Hilbrook  came 
through  Beckwith  and  made  a  run  of  nearly  twenty 
yards. 

This  time  interference  could  not  stop  Merriwell, 
who  flung  himself  like  a  tiger  upon  Columbia's  right 
tackle,  slapping  him  to  the  ground  in  a  twinkling. 

Apparently  Packard  leaped  at  the  same  time,  and 
he  came  down  fairly  on  Merriwell's  back,  his  arms 
seeming  to  twine  by  accident  about  Frank's  neck. 

Others  fell  upon  them  in  a  writhing  heap.  There 
was  a  pause,  and  the  mound  of  human  beings  un- 
tangled and  arose. 

All  but  one.  Stretched  motionless  on  the  ground 
lay  Frank  Merriwell! 

At  a  certain  point  in  the  great  throng  of  spectators 
men  and  women  were  startled  and  astonished  by  the 
uprising  of  a  tall,  dark-faced  man  with  terrible  eyes, 
who  exclaimed  in  a  voice  of  malignant  satisfaction  and 
triumph : 

"The  deed  is  done!" 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MYSTERY   OF   THE   BROTHERS. 

"Merriwell'shurt!" 

The  cry  came  from  hundreds  of  lips. 

For,  notwithstanding  the  peculiar  words  which  fell 
from  the  lips  of  the  strange  man  with  the  dark  face, 
no  one  fancied  for  a  moment  that  he  had  any  connec- 
tion with  the  injury  which  had  befallen  Frank  Merri- 
well,, which  seemed  no  more  than  a  mere  accident  of 
the  gridiron. 

But  was  Merriwell  severely  injured?  He  was  seen 
to  move  as  others  bent  over  him.  Hands  lifted  him, 
and  he  was  placed  on  his  feet.  Then  he  pushed  his 
supporters  off  and  stood  erect  by  himself. 

It  seemed  that  every  Yale  man  within  that  enclosure 
went  wild,  and  the  mighty  throng  took  up  the  roar- 
ing cheer  for  Merriwell. 

The  tall  man  muttered  something  beneath  his 
breath,  his  aspect  being  that  of  rage;  but  no  one  paid 
the  slightest  heed  to  him,  for  all  were  watching  Merri- 
well now. 

"He's  all  right!"  roared  the  crowd. 

Frank  had  indicated  that  he  was  in  condition  to 
continue  playing.  So  the  game  was  resumed,  with 
Merry  still  in  command. 


Mystery  of  the  Brothers.  1 5 1 

This  event  seemed  to  mark  the  turn  of  the  tide, 
for  now  Yale  played  football  in  earnest.  Frank  had 
tried  his  timber  and  knew  what  it  was  worth.  He 
had  experimented  to  his  satisfaction,  and  now  he 
went  into  the  game  to  win. 

The  whistle  blew  for  the  end  of  the  first  half,  just 
one  second  before  Dade  Morgan  went  over  Columbia's 
line  for  a  touch-down.  Thus  Morgan  was  robbed  of 
the  credit  of  making  this  touch-down  for  Yale. 

What  would  happen  in  the  second  half? 

Hundreds  were  asking  this  question.  It  must  be 
confessed  that  the  Yale  crowd  was  disappointed  by 
the  failure  of  its  team  to  score  in  the  first  half  with 
the  wind  favorable,  though  the  finish  of  the  half  had 
been  sensational  enough,  the  "sons  of  Old  Eli"  show- 
ing their  superiority  over  their  opponents. 

And  Columbia  men  were  claiming  that,  having  held 
Yale,  such  play  against  the  wind,  the  blue-and-white 
would  make  things  howl  when  the  wind  was  favorable. 
Nevertheless,  old-timers,  men  who  knew  the  game, 
realized  that  Yale  had  been  experimenting  at  the  out- 
set. 

At  certain  points,  there  had  been  great  excitement 
on  the  coach  that  had  brought  Elsie  and  Inza  to  the 
field.  Harry  Rattleton  nearly  lost  his  breath  when 
Haverlock  made  the  sensational  run  that  so  nearly  re- 
sulted in  a  touch-down  run  for  Columbia,  and  he  yelled 
himself  hoarse  for  Starbright  on  witnessing  the  fresh- 


152  Mystery  of  the  Brothers. 

man  half-back's  flying-tackle  that  brought  Haverlock 
to  the  ground. 

When  Frank  lay  motionless  on  the  ground  after 
others  had  risen,  Elsie  uttered  a  sobbing  cry,  pressing 
her  hands  together,  her  face  turning  white  as  snow. 
Inza  sat  motionless,  her  lips  compressed,  her  eyes  fixed 
on  that  prostrate  figure. 

"Is  he  killed  ?"  gasped  Elsie. 

"No!"  said  Inza.  "He  was  not  born  to  be  killed 
like  that!" 

When  the  men  came  out  upon  the  field  for  the  sec- 
ond half,  it  was  seen  that  Yale  had  not  substituted  a 
man,  while  Columbia  had  two  new  men  in  place  of 
her  guards,  Haskell  having  taken  Delome's  place,  and 
Duncan  filling  Simpson's.  Just  why  these  changes 
had  been  made  no  one  seemed  to  know,  but  it  was  af- 
terward learned  that  Simpson  had  been  hurt  in  his 
rush  against  Browning,  while  Delome  was  suffering 
from  a  peculiar  mental  trouble  known  as  "scare," 
which  made  it  difficult  for  him  to  remember  the 
signals. 

Merriwell  kicked  off  to  Dowling,  and  the  latter 
returned  the  ball  to  Packard,  who  muffed  at  Yale's 
forty-yard  line,  giving  North  a  chance  to  fall  on  the 
ball,  which  he  improved. 

Columbia  seemed  to  depend  a  great  deal  on  Pen- 
nington,  but  his  first  plunge  against  Yale's  center  did 


Mystery  of  the  Brothers.  153 

not  give  him  a  foot.  Drew,  however,  made  four  yards 
by  going  against  Ready  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as 
Pennington. 

But  four  yards  was  not  the  needed  gain,  and  Dowl- 
ing  tried  a  kick,  which  Packard  captured  on  Yale's 
twenty-five-yard  line.  Bingham  was  given  an  oppor- 
tunity to  punt,  and  he  sent  the  ball  out  to  Pennington 
at  the  Columbia  forty-five-yard  line. 

Pennington  started  with  a  rush,  but  was  quickly 
downed  by  Hodge. 

Columbia  was  eager  to  take  advantage  of  the  wind, 
so  Dowling  punted  again.  Bingham  caught  the  ball  at 
Yale's  thirty-yard  line,  and  made  an  advance  of  seven 
yards  before  he  was  stopped  by  Hollis,  who  was 
slightly  injured,  but  pluckily  kept  in  the  game. 

Starbright  had  done  such  good  work  in  the  first  half 
that  he  was  given  another  chance,  but  could  not  make 
a  gain.  Then  Frank  punted  and  drove  the  ball  out  of 
bounds  at  the  forty-yard  line. 

It  really  seemed  that  Columbia  was  going  to  press 
Yale  hard,  and,  remembering  what  had  happened  the 
year  before,  the  blue-and-white  team  played  with  dash 
and  vim. 

Soon,  however,  the  long-expected  event  happened. 
Merriwell  got  the  ball  on  a  fumble  and  seemed  to  dash 
across  as  if  to  go  round  Columbia's  right  end.  As 
he  passed  Starbright,  he  cleverly  gave  the  ball  to  the 


154  Mystery  of  the  Brothers. 

big  freshman,  but  kept  straight  on  without  the  slight- 
est pause  or  hesitation. 

Had  this  play  been  attempted  from  a  snap  back  it 
might  not  have  succeeded,  but  two-thirds  of  the  Co- 
lumbia team  were  after  Merry  before  they  realized 
that  he  no  longer  had  possession  of  the  leather.  Then, 
before  they  could  discover  where  it  was,  Starbright 
went  through,  bowling  over  Duncan  and  Drew  as  if 
they  were  children,  and  away  he  flew  toward  the  goal. 

There  was  a  clean  open  road  to  the  line,  and  the 
big  Andover  man  covered  ground  in  the  most  marvel- 
ous manner.  Dowling  cut  down  on  him  and  leaped 
for  a  flying-tackle,  but  miscalculated  slightly,  so  that 
his  fingers  barely  touched  Dick. 

On  rushed  Starbright,  while  the  great  multitude 
rose  once  more  and  roared,  roared,  roared.  Nothing 
could  stop  Yale's  left  half-back,  who  slackened  not  a 
fraction  till  he  could  fall  prone  beyond  Columbia's  line 
with  the  ball  hugged  fast  beneath  him. 

The  first  touch-down  had  been  made,  and  the  cheer- 
ing did  not  subside  for  some  moments.  The  ball  was 
brought  out  by  Ready,  and  Frank  easily  kicked  a 
handsome  goal. 

Of  course,  Columbia  sympathizers  declared  the 
whole  play  a  fluke,  but  the  fact  remained  that  it  had 
been  carried  out  successfully  from  start  to  finish,  and 
it  was  a  remarkable  piece  of  quick  thinking  and  quick 
acting. 


Mystery  of  the  Brothers.  155 

As  the  two  teams  lined  up  again,  the  great  crowd 
of  Yale  onlookers  were  singing: 

"Oh,  poor  Columbi-a!     Oh,  poor  Columbi-a! 
She  picked  a  gift  from  off  a  tree, 
It  swelled  her  head,  as  all  may  see — 
Oh,  poor  Columbi-a! 

CHORUS  : 
"Oh,   hinkey   dinkey  doodle   aye! 

Hinkey  dinkey  day! 
We'll  have  a  little  practise  game 
With  poor  Columbi-a! 

"Oh,  soft  Columbi-a!     Oh,  soft  Columbi-a! 
This  time,  you  bet,  no  gift  you'll  get, 
So  what's  the  use  to  fume  and  fret — 
Oh,   soft   Columbi-a ! 

"Oh,  sad  Columbi-a!     Oh,  sad  Columbi-a! 
It  seems  a  sin  to  rub  it  in, 
But  your  rush-line  is  far  too  thin — 
Oh,  sad  Columbi-a!" 

From  this  time  on  the  Yale  team  did  not  let  up  for 
a  moment.  Merriwell  showed  his  ability  as  captain 
by  seeming  to  be  everywhere  to  coach  his  men,  and  his 
style  of  tearing  to  pieces  the  interference  of  the  oppo- 
nents was  most  discouraging  to  Columbia,  who  began 
to  realize  that  she  was  up  against  "the  real  thing." 

The  first  half  had  been  exciting  enough,  but  the 
hopes  of  the  New  Yorkers  died  when,  less  than  five 
minutes  after  Starbright's  great  run  and  the  resulting 
goal,  Yale  again  advanced  the  ball  to  such  a  position 
that  Hodge  was  projected  out  of  a  formation  play  and 
literally  shot  over  Columbia's  line. 

Again  Merriwell  kicked  a  goal. 


• 

156  Mystery  of  the  Brothers. 

Columbia  was  desperate.  She  fought  like  mad  for 
a  score  of  some  sort,  for  she  realized  that  her  laurels, 
so  proudly  cherished,  so  loudly  boasted  of  last  year, 
were  being  torn  from  her  at  one  fell  swoop.  Was 
it  possible  that  she  could  not  score  ?  The  thought  was 
sickening  to  her  loyal  adherents. 

That  Columbia  made  a  brave  fight  cannot  be  de- 
nied, but  when,  near  the  close  of  the  second  half,  Dade 
Morgan  found  his  opportunity  and  broke  through  for 
a  twenty-yard  dash  and  a  touch-down,  she  was  forced 
to  accept  the  truth  that  she  was  not  in  her  class. 

Morgan's  touch-down  did  not  result  in  a  goal,  as 
a  strong  gust  of  wind  carried  the  ball  to  one  side  of 
the  goal  posts,  but  the  score  was  already  17  to  o,  and 
the  Yale  crowd  on  the  stand  was  singing : 

"Oh,  sick  Columbi-a!     Oh,  sick  Columbi-a! 
Though  rather  tame,  you're  not  to  blame; 
You've  lots  of  time  to  learn  the  game — • 
Brace    up,    Columbia !" 

In  the  last  few  moments  of  play  Columbia  made  a 
rally  and  forced  the  ball  to  within  twenty  yards  of 
Yale's  line.  It  is  probable  she  might  have  tried  to 
kick  a  goal  from  the  field  at  that  distance  but  for  a 
fumble  that  lost  her  the  ball  and  her  last  opportunity 
of  scoring.  So  the  game  ended. 

When  Merriwell  reached  his  room  at  the  hotel,  Yale 
men  came  pouring  in  to  shake  his  hand  and  congratu- 
late him  on  the  splendid  manner  in  which  he  had  han- 
dled the  team. 


? 

Mystery  of  the  Brothers.  157 

"The  only  thing  I  have  against  you,  Merry,"  de- 
clared Rattleton,  who  was  proud  as  a  peacock,  "is  that 
you  fooled  around  in  the  first  half  the  way  you  did. 
Why,  it  was  a  segular  rinch — a  regular  cinch!" 

"My  dear  boy,"  smiled  Merry,  "you  must  remember 
that  this  was  merely  a  practise  game.  It  was  my 
policy  to  find  out  just  what  the  different  men  on  the 
team  could  do,  and  I  carried  it  out.  In  the  first  half 
we  experimented;  in  the  last  half  we  got  down  to 
business." 

"Oh,  poor  Columbi-a!"  sang  the  Yale  men  laugh- 
ingly. "But  the  change  will  do  her  good." 

Later,  Frank  found  himself  alone  with  Bart  Hodge 
and  seized  the  opportunity  to  speak  of  a  matter  that 
had  troubled  him  not  a  little. 

"I'm  afraid  we  can't  keep  Oliver  Packard  on  the 
team,"  he  said.  "This  is  a  private  matter,  Bart,  and  I 
shall  depend  on  you  to  keep  silent  concerning  it." 

"What's  the  matter  with  Oliver?"  questioned 
Hodge,  his  curiosity  aroused.  "I  thought  he  did  well 
to-day." 

"He  did.  It's  not  his  playing  that  makes  me  think 
we  may  have  to  drop  him,  but  it  is  the  influence  his  dis- 
reputable brother  has  over  him." 

"Roland  Packard  is  a  scoundrel,  but  I  was  not  aware 
that  he  had  any  influence  over  Oliver  that  would  inter- 
fere with  Oil's  playing." 

"I'm  going  to  tell  you  something,  Bart — something 


158  Mystery  of  the  Brothers. 

you  must  never  mention  till  I  give  you  permission.  If 
it  had  not  been  for  me,  Oliver  Packard  would  not  have 
played  with  us  to-day." 

"How  was  that?" 

"Instead,"  Merry  pursued,  "Roland,  disguised  as 
Oliver,  if  appearing  in  Oliver's  clothes  may  be  called 
a  disguise,  would  have  been  our  quarter-back." 

Bart  was  startled. 

"How  could  he  work  the  trick?"  he  asked.  "Surely 
Oliver  would  not  keep  out  of  sight  and  let  Roland  take 
his  place?" 

"Not  of  his  own  free  will;  but  there  is  where  Ro- 
land's power  comes  in.  Yesterday,  just  as  I  started 
for  the  train,  I  happened  to  think  of  a  nose  guard 
which  belongs  to  Oliver,  and  which  I  have  taken  a 
fancy  to.  I  thought  I  might  want  to  use  it  in  this 
game,  and,  fearing  Oliver  would  not  bring  it,  I  ran 
over  to  his  room.  The  door  was  the  least  bit  open, 
and  I  entered  quickly,  without  knocking. 

"I  found  Roland  Packard  hastily  getting  into  a  new 
brown  suit  of  Oliver's.  At  first  I  mistook  him  for 
Oliver;  but  he  was  startled  by  my  sudden  entrance 
and  betrayed  himself.  I  knew  in  a  moment  that  some- 
thing was  wrong,  and  I  saw  Oliver's  dress-suit  case 
lying  open,  which  told  me  that  Oliver  had  not  left. 
When  I  started  to  look  into  the  next  room,  however, 
Roland  sprang  before  me  and  ordered  me  to  leave.  I 
decided  at  once  to  look  into  that  room.  Roland  would 


Mystery  of  the  Brothers.  159 

not  step  aside,  and  we  grappled.  He  put  up  a  stiff 
fight.  When  I  threw  him,  his  head  struck  against  a 
piece  of  furniture,  and  he  was  stunned.  Then  I  looked 
into  that  room,  and  what  do  you  fancy  I  found?" 

"Oliver?" 

"Yes." 

"A  prisoner?" 

"Asleep." 

"Asleep?"  gasped  Bart. 

"In  a  trance.  The  fellow  was  hypnotized,  just  as 
true  as  you  are  living !  I  tried  to  awaken  him  but  my 
first  efforts  failed.  Then  I  hastily  made  efforts  to 
bring  him  out  of  the  trance,  commanding  him  to 
awaken.  That  succeeded." 

"Great  Scott !"  panted  Hodge. 

"At  first,"  Frank  went  on,  "he  was  bewildered  and 
could  not  seem  to  remember  anything.  He  followed 
me  into  the  other  room,  where  Roland  was  just  sit- 
ting up.  When  Roland  saw  his  brother,  he  seemed  to 
give  in  completely,  and  he  was  as  easy  to  handle  as  a 
whipped  cur.  I  knew  there  was  not  time  to  spare  if 
we  would  catch  the  train,  and  I  did  not  permit  Oliver 
to  get  out  of  my  sight  a  moment  till  I  had  him  well 
aboard.  That's  how  it  happened  that  he  was  on  the 
team  to-day." 

"Roland  Packard  ought  to  be  shot!"  cried  Bart. 
"What  does  Oliver  say  about  it?" 

"Not  a  thing,"  answered  Merry.    "I  told  him  how 


160  Mystery  of  the  Brothers. 

I  had  found  him,  and  tried  to  get  the  whole  truth  out 
of  him;  but  he  closed  up  like  a  clam  and  would  not 
talk.  You  know  how  he  tries  to  shield  his  miserable 
brother  in  everything." 

"Yes,  and  that  brother  will  ruin  him  eventually." 

"I  fear  so.  I've  often  wondered  that  Oliver  should 
take  such  pains  to  help  Roland  out  of  scrapes  and  to 
cover  up  his  deviltry,  but  now  I  fancy  I  understand  it 
all.  Roland  has  him  under  hypnotic  influence,  and  he 
is  not  his  own  master." 

"There  is  no  doubt  but  you  have  discovered  the 
truth  at  last,"  agreed  Bart. 

But  little  did  either  of  them  know,  at  that  moment, 
how  far  Frank  was  from  the  truth. 

There  was  a  brisk  rap  at  the  door. 

"Come  in,"  said  Frank,  and  a  messenger  boy  ap- 
peared, carrying  a  little  envelope,  dainty  and  perfumed, 
which  he  handed  to  Merry. 

"Answer,"  said  the  boy  abruptly. 

Frank  opened  the  envelope  with  thumping  heart.  It 
was  an  invitation  to  accompany  a  party  of  young  peo- 
ple on  a  yachting  trip,  Frank  to  be  the  "guest  of 
honor." 

Merry  hastily  wrote  an  answer  accepting  the  invita- 
tion and  gave  it  to  the  boy. 

"Yes,  I'll  be  there,"  said  Frank. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A     MERRY     PARTY. 

A  bright  sky,  a  rippling  sea,  a  comfortable  boat,  a 
gay  and  happy  party  of  young  people.  What  element 
could  be  added  to  make  pleasure  perfect?  If  anything, 
it  was  the  fact,  important  to  this  party  at  least,  that 
Yale  had  just  won  on  the  gridiron  against  Columbia. 

As  the  Belle  of  the  Bay  plowed  through  the  shining 
waters,  sending  up  a  towering  cloud  of  smoke  from 
her  funnel,  a  quartet  composed  of  Jack  Ready,  Bruce 
Browning,  Berlin  Carson,  and  Bert  Dashleigh,  gave 
expression  to  the  general  joy  by  singing  triumphant 
college  songs. 

The  little  steamer,  chartered  for  the  purpose,  was 
conveying  a  party  of  Merri well's  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances on  a  half-holiday  trip  down  the  harbor. 

Merriwell  was  the  center  of  interest  and  admira- 
tion, as  well  as  the  spirit  of  the  company. 

Inza  Burrage  and  Elsie  Bellwood  were  of  the  party, 
adding  to  its  life  and  vivacity.  Rosalind  Thornton, 
Dick  Starbright's  sweetheart,  was  there,  too,  witty, 
smiling,  and  attractive. 

Starbright  was  gaily  talking  to  Rosalind  and  two 
other  girls,  Ethel  Throckmorton  and  Lucile  Hayden. 
Mrs.  Virgil  Throckmorton,  Rosalind's  aunt,  was  also 
aboard,  chaperoning  the  girls.  Mrs.  Throckmorton 


1 62  A  Merry  Party. 

was  a  large  and  comfortable-looking  woman  with  a 
Grand  Duchess  air,  and  Ethel  partook  somewhat  of 
her  mother's  stiffness  and  dignity.  As  for  Lucile  Hay- 
den,  she  was  a  languid,  nonathletic  girl,  who  was  al- 
ways declaring  that  everything  was  "just  lovely." 

Bert  Dashleigh  had  appeared  to  be  somewhat  smit- 
ten with  Lucile's  charms,  but  Jack  Ready  chanced  to 
be  first  at  her  side  when  the  singing  ended. 

"That  singing  was  just  lovely!"  she  gushed,  turn- 
ing on  Ready  with  a  smile. 

"Oh,  I've  got  a  voice  like  a  martingale  at  times!" 
Ready  declared,  politely  lifting  his  cap.  He  did  not 
believe  she  had  heard  a  word  of  it,  for  all  through 
the  singing  he  had  seen  her  chattering  away  like  a 
magpie. 

"I'm  so  fond  of  athletics,  you  know!"  Lucile 
gushed,  though,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  most  violent 
exercise  she  ever  took  was  a  swinging  in  a  hammock. 

"Yes,  it  was  something  of  an  athletic  exhibition!" 

"What?" 

"The  singing." 

"Oh,  how  stupid  you  men  are!"  she  simpered,  giv- 
ing him  a  little  push.  "I  was  thinking  of  the  football- 
game.  I  just  adore  football,  you  know." 

Ready  glanced  at  Dashleigh,  who  had  gone  by  in  a 
sulk. 

"I  like  it!"  he  said. 

Ready  meant  that  he  liked  to  monopolize  a  girl  in 


A  Merry  Party.  163 

this  way  and  cause  that  girl's  admirers  to  shoot  dag- 
gers of  hate  at  him. 

"Oh,  it's  just  lovely!"  she  declared,  in  a  feminine 
flutter  of  ecstasy.  "If  I  were  a  man  I  know  I  should 
be  on  a  football-team !  They  go  at  each  other  just  like 
bears." 

"And  bears  are  good  huggers.  I  had  a  bear  hug 
me  once,  and " 

"Oh,  how  love — I  mean  how  horrid!" 

Lucile  actually  blushed. 

Starbright  and  Rosalind  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
that  there  had  ever  been  a  shadow  between  them. 
Starbright  thought  her  the  most  perfect  little  creature 
in  the  world.  He  watched  the  smiles  come  and  go  in 
her  bright  eyes,  and  listened  to  her  musical  laughter 
mingling  with  the  music  of  the  waters.  He  forgot  that 
she  had  ever  been  jealous  and  changeable  in  disposi- 
tion. The  big  freshman  was  but  seventeen,  and  he 
had  not  seen  much  of  the  world  or  of  women.  He 
was  very  happy  that  day,  for  the  sky  was  bright,  his 
sweetheart  was  by  his  side,  and  he  had  won  honor  in 
Yale's  first  football  battle  of  the  season.  Even  if  a 
freshman,  he  was  already  becoming  a  prominent  man 
at  Yale,  and  though  there  never  was  a  fellow  of  his 
age  less  conceited,  this  success  and  prominence  could 
but  please  him. 

Frank  Merriwell  and  Bart  Hodge  were  sitting  on 
the  forward  deck  with  Inza  and  Elsie,  and  soon  their 


164  A  Merry  Party. 

friends  gravitated  round  them  as  naturally  as  iron 
filings  round  a  magnet. 

Browning  ensconced  himself  in  a  big  chair.  Bruce 
could  not  enjoy  even  a  pleasure  party  unless  he  could 
perch  in  a  chair  that  was  big  and  comfortable.  He 
wanted  to  smoke,  and  frankly  confessed  it,  but  that  en- 
joyment was  denied  him  now  that  he  was  in  training. 

In  the  party  that  gathered  about  Merriwell  and  his 
companions  were  Berlin  Carson,  Greg  Carker,  Jim 
Hooker,  with  Starbright  and  Ready  and  the  young 
lady  protegees  of  Mrs.  Virgil  Throckmorton. 

In  shifting  the  seats  to  make  room,  Jack  Ready 
came  by  apparent  chance  next  to  Elsie  Belhvood,  with 
whom  he  at  once  tried  to  set  up  a  desperate  flirtation, 
and  Bert  Dashleigh,  who  had  been  hanging  about  in 
an  angry  and  disconsolate  way,  at  once  saw  his  oppor- 
tunity and  sat  down  by  Lucile  Hayden. 

The  captain  of  the  steamer  climbed  along  the  rail 
behind  one  of  the  company  and  leaped  down  to  the 
deck.  He  had  a  field-glass  with  him,  whose  use  he 
meant  to  offer  to  the  party. 

"A  drop  like  that  might  hurt  you  some  time!" 
warned  Jim  Hooker. 

The  captain  winked  as  he  handed  the  glass  to  Mer- 
riwell. 

"It  takes  more  than  a  drop  to  hurt  a  seafaring  man." 

"It  takes  a  big  glass!"  laughed  Frank,  as  he  tool: 
the  field-glass  and  passed  it  to  Inza. 


A  Merry  Party.  165 

"I  should  like  to  have  Dade  Morgan  look  at  himself 
through  the  big  end  of  this  glass !"  she  declared. 

"What  for?"  Carson  mildly  inquired. 

"So  he  could  see  how  little  he  is." 

"What's  your  objection  to  Mr.  Morgan?"  Frank 
asked.  "He  made  a  touch-down  for  Old  Eli  in  his 
very  first  game,  and  he  pulled  in  his  school  crew  last 
year." 

"I  don't  care  if  he  did!"  she  blandly  asserted,  as  she 
fitted  the  glass  to  her  eyes.  "I  heard  of  a  New  Lon- 
don policeman  who  once  pulled  in  nearly  the  whole  of 
Yale  University." 

Browning  exploded. 

"Oh,  say,  that's  rich !"  cried  Dashleigh,  who  had  for- 
gotten his  misery  of  a  few  moments  before. 

"Riches  are  only  by  comparison,"  said  Carker,  who 
liked  to  be  serious  about  all  things.  "And  happiness 
does  not  come  from  the  possession  of  great  riches. 
Think  of  the  wealth  of  Solomon!  It  didn't  bring  him 
happiness." 

"I  don't  think  Solomon  was  half  as  rich  as  they  say 
he  was!"  Ready  positively  declared. 

"Well,  why  not?  He  was  one  of  the  richest  men 
of  his  time,  wasn't  he?" 

"I  don't  believe  it.  The  Bible  says  of  him  that  'he 
slept  with  his  fathers.'  Now,  if  he  had  been  rich  he 
would  have  had  a  bed  of  his  own." 

Carker  sank  back  with  a  sigh  of  despair.    Merriwell 


1 66  A  Merry  Party. 

nodded  to  Dashleigh,  who  slipped  away,  soon  return- 
ing with  his  mandolin. 

Then  there  was  an  adjournment  to  the  main  saloon, 
where  Dashleigh  "turned  up,"  and  played  for  the  flying 
feet  of  merry  dancers. 

Every  one  at  Yale,  however,  was  not  as  happy  as 
the  merry  party  on  the  excursion-steamer. 

A  lot  of  malcontents  had  gathered  that  afternoon  in 
the  perfumed  apartments  of  Rupert  Chickering. 
Among  them,  in  addition  to  the  Chickering  set,  were 
Roland  Packard,  Donald  Pike,  Dade  Morgan,  and  Ber- 
trand  Defarge.  All  were  bitter  enemies  of  Frank  Mer- 
riwell,  and  had  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  the  Na- 
poleonic freshman,  Dade  Morgan,  in  his  fight  against 
Yale's  popular  hero  and  idol. 

"Every  time  I  think  of  that  speech  of  Jack  Dia- 
mond and  of  how  Merriwell  afterward  acted,  it  makes 
me  sick  of  the  fact  that  I'm  a  Yale  man !"  Don  Pike 
sneered. 

"Oh,  Merriwell's  friends  are  always  blowing  about 
his  .fairness  and  all  that!"  said  Gene  Skelding,  with 
bitter  emphasis.  "Yet  a  more  unfair  man  doesn't 
live." 

"Why,  out  of  the  eleven  men  on  the  team,  six  were 
his  close  and  intimate  friends,"  Pike  went  on.  "There 
was  Hodge,  Browning,  Carson,  Ready,  Starbright,  and 
himself." 


A  Merry  Party.  167 

"And  there  were,  besides,"  said  Skelding,  "Beckwith 
and  Bingham,  who  are  friendly  to  him." 

"Yes,  it's  enough  to  make  any  one  sick,  as  you 
say!"  growled  Morgan,  ignoring  the  fact  that,  though 
he  was  the  bitterest  foe  Merriwell  had  at  Yale,  Frank 
had  given  him  the  position  of  left  end.  And  this 
Frank  had  done,  for  the  good  of  the  team,  notwith- 
standing Morgan's  enmity. 

"I  think  you  made  a  mistake,  Morgan,  in  accepting 
the  place  he  gave  you,"  suggested  Defarge.  "I  made 
the  same  mistake." 

Bertrand  Defarge  was  an  American  youth  of  French 
extraction,  and  a  fire-eater  who  disliked  Merriwell 
with  the  fierce  intensity  of  his  whole  nature. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  Morgan. 

"But  he  did  it  that  he  might  bolster  his  pretense  of 
fairness." 

"I  know  that,  but  the  refusal  of  the  offer  would 
have  availed  nothing,  for  then  he  would  have  heralded 
the  fact  everywhere  that  the  place  had  been  offered  me, 
and  I  refused  to  take  it.  See?  And  I  gained  a  big 
point  by  making  the  fellows  admit  generally  that  I 
was  ready  to  stand  up  and  fight  for  the  glory  of  Old 
Eli,  even  under  a  man  I  intensely  disliked." 

"I  thould  like  to  punch  Merriwell'th  head  for  him!" 
lisped  Lew  Veazie,  puffing  at  a  cigarette  and  assuming 
a  pugilistic  air.  "He's  a  horwid  cweathure!" 


1 68  A  Merry  Party. 

This  outburst  made  Tilton  Hull  choke  with  rage 
against  the  enemy,  behind  his  high  collar. 

"We  fellows  will  have  to  try  it  some  day,"  languidly 
observed  Julian  Ives,  patting  his  lovely  bang  into 
shape,  as  he  stared  at  himself  in  the  full-length  mir- 
ror. 

"Don't  be  bloodthirsty,  fellows!"  purred  Rupert 
Chickering.  "I  dislike  the  creature  myself,  but  I 
would  never  think  of  doing  him  physical  harm." 

Donald  Pike  scornfully  sniffed  the  air  and  shrugged 
his  broad  shoulders. 

"Well,  I  would!  I'm  only  waiting  for  the  oppor- 
tunity." 

There  had  been  good  in  Donald  Pike,  but  he  had 
permitted  his  selfishness  and  narrow  hate  to  drag 
him  downward. 

"By  going  in  and  helping  the  football-team  to  win, 
you  just  added  to  Merriwell's  glory  and  influence," 
Gene  Skelding  snarled,  speaking  direct  to  Dade  Mor- 
gan. 

"But  the  team  would  have  won  anyway,  and  I 
thought  it  unwise  to  show  narrowness  by  a  refusal." 

Morgan  knew  how  to  explain  and  conciliate,  as 
every  shrewd  general  must. 

"You  saw  the  game,  and  you  know  how  it  went. 
We  didn't  score  in  the  first  half,  as  Merriwell  was  try- 
ing all  kinds  of  hinkey-dinks  for  practise.  Then  in 
the  second  half,  when  we  saw  we  would  have  to  work 


A  Merry  Party.  169 

to  keep  from  being  beaten,  we  went  in  and  put  it  all 
over  the  other  eleven.  Columbia  was  simply  out- 
classed. Now,  it  was  not  necessary  for  me  to  be  on 
the  team  to  bring  about  a  victory.  I  felt  that,  in  fact, 
I  knew  that  Yale  would  win,  whether  I  was  on  the 
team  or  off  of  it,  and  I  saw  that  more  was  to  be 
gained  by  going  on  than  by  staying  off.  See?" 

"Well,  I  shouldn't  let  Merriwell  use  me  in  that 
way!"  Skelding  grumbled.  "What  sort  of  show  did 
he  give  you,  anyhow?" 

"Don't  be  stupid,  Skelding!  He  didn't  use  me;  I 
used  him." 

"I  don't  see  that  we're  getting  on  much  in  our  op- 
position. He's  carrying  everything  his  own  way.  Our 
attempt  to  keep  him  from  being  captain  of  the  eleven 
was  a  flat  failure!" 

"One  of  Merriwell's  mottoes,  as  you  know,  is  that 
'a  game  is  never  played  out  until  it  is  ended.'  We'll 
make  that  motto  ours.  If  we  fail,  we'll  simply  strike 
again,  and  again!  I'm  outlining  some  plans  that  will 
trouble  him." 

"What  are  they?"  angrily. 

"See  here,  Skelding,  if  you  want  to  be  rebellious, 
you  can  walk  out  of  this  clique !" 

Morgan's  dark  eyes  flashed  a  sudden  fire  that  made 
Skelding  quail.  In  fact,  Morgan  had  little  liking  for 
any  of  Chickering's  set,  but  he  was  willing  enough  to 
use  them  all  as  tools. 


170  A  Merry  Party. 

"Oh,  I  didn't  mean  anything  in  particular!  I'm  just 
impatient  for  results,  that's  all.  You  see,  I've  been 
trying  to  down  Merriwell  so  long  myself  that  it  puts 
me  in  a  hurry." 

"It  ought  to  teach  you  patience.  One  of  my  plans 
is  what  we've  been  talking  about.  Agitate  this  matter 
of  Frank  Merriwell's  unfairness.  Say  that  he  is  not 
fit  for  the  position  and  has  proved  it.  Say  that  eight 
of  the  eleven  men  are  his  friends,  six  of  them  his  most 
intimate  friends.  There  were  a  big  lot  of  fellows 
wild  to  get  on  that  team.  Every  one  of  them  undoubt- 
edly thought  himself  well  qualified.  It  will  be  an  easy 
matter  to  turn  those  fellows  against  Merriwell.  They 
are  sullen  and  jealous  now,  and  a  jealous  man  can 
always  be  turned  against  the  one  whom  he  thinks  has 
been  unfair  to  him.  Tell  those  fellows  that  they  were 
shut  out  through  Merriwell's  favoritism.  Make  each 
one  of  them  believe  that  he  was  the  one  man  needed 
to  make  the  team  all  right,  and  that  he  would  surely 
have  been  given  a  place  by  any  other  captain  than  Mer- 
riwell. What  more  can  you  want  in  the  way  of  a 
weapon?" 

"It  seems  to  me  that  Merriwell  threw  himself  open 
to  just  that  sort  of  thrust  by  choosing  so  many  of  his 
friends,"  said  Checkering. 

"Of  course  he  did;  and  we  must  take  advantage  of 
it.  That's  one  thing  that  made  me  accept  the  place 
offered  me.  If  I  had  refused  and  some  others  had 


A  Merry  Party.  171 

refused,  Merriwell  could  have  claimed  that  he  was 
forced  to  put  his  friends  on  because  some  of  the  best 
players  to  whom  he  had  offered  places  refused  to  ac- 
cept them  through  personal  dislike." 

"Oh,  he'th  a  swewd  wathcal!"  lisped  Veazie. 
"Thome  of  thethe  dayth  I'll " 

"What?"  Don  Pike  abruptly  interrupted. 

"I'll  walk  up  in  fwont  of  him  with  my  dog-headed 
cane,  and  I'll  tell  him  jutht  what  I  think  of  him! 
That'th  what  I'll  do!" 

Julian  Ives,  at  a  nod  from  Rupert  Chickering,  had 
disappeared  for  some  wine,  which  he  now  brought  in, 
arranging  it  on  a  table  with  a  number  of  tiny  glasses. 

"Would  any  of  you  prefer  tea?"  asked  Ollie  Lord, 
trying  to  look  manly  by  tiptoeing  in  his  high-heeled 
shoes. 

Morgan  smiled  scornfully  to  himself,  for  the  fel- 
lows sickened  him,  but  the  Chickering  set  had  money 
and  a  certain  standing  which  money  brings,  even  if 
they  were  not  top-heavy  with  brains. 

"I  think  tea  ith  tho  thoothing  to  the  nerveth,  don't 
you  know!"  explained  Veazie,  teetering  forward, 
swinging  his  heavy  cane,  as  if  he  fancied  he  might 
see  a  vision  of  Merri well's  face  in  the  wine-glasses  and 
therefore  ought  to  be  prepared  to  hammer  it  with  that 
wonderful  dog's  head. 

"Bert  Dashleigh  has  gone  over  to  Merriwell," 
Chickering  blandly  observed. 


172  A  Merry  Party. 

"He'th  a  wetch !"  Veazie  fiercely  declared.  "He'th  a 
mitherable  wetch!" 

"I  thought  there  was  some  manliness  in  him,"  said 
Ollie  Lord,  again  teetering  on  his  toes  and  thrusting 
out  his  chest  to  increase  his  apparent  height  and  size. 

"Oh,  he'll  come  back,"  asserted  Morgan.  "I  neg- 
lected to  flatter  him  enough.  Merriwell  is  patting  him 
on  the  back.  But  I  think  he  doesn't  like  Merriwell." 

"I  don't  weally  thee  how  he  can,  after  the  thingth  we 
told  him!" 

"No,  of  course  not,  if  he  believed  them." 

Veazie  looked  at  Morgan,  and  wondered  if  his 
words  held  any  hidden  sarcasm. 

"The  trouble  with  Dashleigh  is  that  he  is  a  light- 
headed, frivolous  fellow.  I  doubt  if  his  friendship 
will  do  us  much  good,  after  all.  He  hasn't  a  dozen 
ideas  in  his  cranium,  beyond  having  a  jolly  good  time 
and  twanging  his  mandolin  and  guitar." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"BIG"    MEN   AND   FOOTBALL    PRACTISE. 

In  spite  of  the  machinations  of  his  enemies  and  the 
jealousies  of  would-be  rivals,  Frank  Merriwell  was 
undeniably  the  most  popular  man  in  Yale. 

In  the  football  season,  the  captain  of  the  eleven  is 
the  biggest  man  in  Yale ;  not  in  the  physical  sense,  but 
in  the  popular  estimation.  Merriwell,  without  effort 
on  his  own  part,  and  opposed  by  bitter  enemies,  had 
been  honored  with  the  position  of  captain  of  the  Yale 
eleven,  simply  because  he  was  the  man  for  the  place. 
And  it  was  because  the  captain  of  the  football-team  is 
the  biggest  man  in  Yale,  that  Dade  Morgan  had  cen- 
tered his  first  efforts  against  Merriwell  in  an  attempt 
to  keep  him  from  being  given  that  position. 

It  may  be  said,  in  the  athletic  sense,  that  any  mem- 
ber of  any  team  at  Yale  is  a  big  man.  The  wearer  of 
a  "Y"  is  in  almost  every  instance  a  big  man,  for  the 
honor  of  wearing  this  symbol  is  only  conferred  upon 
a  man  who  has  played  on  the  'varsity  football  or  base- 
ball-teams against  Harvard  or  Princeton,  has  rowed  in 
a  'varsity  race  against  Harvard,  or  has  won  at  least 
a  point  in  the  athletic  meets  against  the  larger  uni- 
versities. 

But  at  Yale,  men  who  are  not  athletic  are  not  with- 
out the  sphere  of  "bigness."  The  leading  literary  men 


174     "Big"  Men  and  Football  Practise. 

in  each  class  are  also  "big  men" ;  the  editor  of  the 
"Lit"  coming  first,  then  the  editors  of  the  "Record," 
"News,"  and  "Courant." 

Debaters  and  men  of  high  standing  as  students,  also 
have  their  just  rewards,  and  the  men  who  lead  their 
classes  in  religious  work  are  not  slighted. 

Besides  this,  general  popularity  and  that  delightful 
character  of  the  upright,  unequivocal  hail-fellow-well- 
met  are  always  recognized,  and  very  often  the  biggest 
man  in  the  class  has  nothing  more  than  this  to  recom- 
mend him  to  popular  favor. 

That  Frank  Merriwell  had  all  the  qualities  which 
go  to  make  a  popular  Yale  leader  and  idol,  and  that 
he  was  now  recognized  as  the  biggest  of  all  the  big 
men  at  Yale  was  as  gall  and  wormwood  to  Dade  Mor- 
gan and  many  others. 

But  Morgan  was  a  fellow  of  infinite  patience  and  re- 
sources, and  these  things  did  not  daunt  him  or  cause 
him  to  pause  in  the  least  in  his  efforts  to  dethrone, 
degrade,  and  humiliate  Frank.  They  only  spurred 
him  to  new  exertions  and  renewed  ingenuity.  He  had 
come  to  Yale,  as  he  often  told  himself,  to  down  Mer- 
riwell, and  he  was  resolved  to  down  him. 

Merriwell's  excursion  party  returned  in  time  to  en- 
able Frank  to  give  his  football  eleven  some  hard  prac- 
tise work  in  the  afternoon. 

Of  course,  Dade  Morgan  and  Bertrand  Defarge 
were  there,  for  they  were  members  of  the  team:  and, 


"Big"  Men  and  Football  Practise.     175 

of  course,  Dade  Morgan's  allies  in  mischief  were  also 
there,  including  the  inane  Chickering  set,  for  this  prac- 
tise work  gave  them  splendid  opportunities  to  criti- 
cize whatever  Merriwell  did,  which  they  used  to  the 
utmost.  The  work  of  the  'varsity  and  college  squads 
always  drew  out  a  crowd  of  spectators,  who  cheered  « 
wildly  every  clever  play. 

There  was  daily  practise  in  the  field  of  kicking,  run- 
ning, falling  on  the  ball,  lining  up,  interference,  and 
signal  work. 

Mike  Murphy,  the  famous  professional  trainer  and 
coach  of  all  teams,  was  there,  talking  to  Merriwell 
now  and  then,  and  watching  the  work  interestedly. 
He  had  seen  the  work  done  by  Yale  in  the  game  against 
Columbia,  and  his  already  high  opinion  of  Merri well's 
ability  as  a  captain  had  been  greatly  increased.  It 
takes  brains  to  be  a  good  football  captain,  and  Mur- 
phy had  seen  that  Merriwell  had  as  clever  and  quick 
a  brain  as  any  football  captain  who  ever  trod  the  grid- 
iron. 

The  rush-line  of  the  Yale  team  held  Jack  Ready, 
center;  Beckwith,  the  big  sophomore,  right  guard; 
Bruce  Browning,  left  guard;  Bertrand  Defarge,  right 
tackle;  Berlin  Carson,  left  tackle;  Bart  Hodge,  right 
end ;  and  Dade  Morgan,  left  end.  Oliver  Packard  was 
quarter-back;  Frank  Merriwell,  right  half-back;  Dick 
Starbright,  left  half-back;  and  Ralph  Bingham,  full- 
back. 


176     "Big"  Men  and  Football  Practise. 

One  of  the  prettiest  plays  of  the  afternoon  came  out 
of  the  practise  of  a  revolving  formation,  in  which  a 
run  was  made  by  Merriwell.  Against  the  regular 
eleven  was  opposed  a  clever  eleven  of  the  best  material 
obtainable,  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  two  men 
in  the  rush-line  and  extra  men  behind  it. 

Ready  had  snapped  the  ball  back  to  Packard,  who 
passed  it  to  Merriwell,  and,  as  the  Yale  interference 
bored  its  way  into  the  opposition,  fighting  fiercely  for 
an  advance,  Frank  squeezed  through  an  opening  dex- 
terously made  for  him  by  Browning  and  Ready  and 
shot  away  with  the  ball  for  the  goal-line. 

The  opposing  rushers  were  so  involved  in  breaking 
the  interference  that  they  could  not  get  at  Frank 
quickly,  but  he  found  himself,  nevertheless,  opposed  by 
two  men.  One  of  these  he  hurled  from  his  feet, 
dodged  the  other,  and,  though  hotly  pursued,  carried 
the  ball  safely  past  the  goal-posts. 

A  half -hour  of  hot  work  each  day  was  putting  the 
Yale  eleven  in  fair  shape  to  meet  Harvard  and  Prince- 
ton in  the  great  games  which  were  already  scheduled, 
and  which  were  absorbing,  to  a  large  extent,  the 
thoughts  and  conversation  of  Yale  men  in  their  rooms 
and  at  the  fence. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
DASHLEIGH'S  SERENADERS. 

Few  things  delighted  Jack  Ready  so  well  as  a  prac- 
tical joke.  He  had  flirted  with  Lucile  Hayden  merely 
for  the  fun  of  making  Bert  Dashleigh  jealous.  Not 
that  he  disliked  Dashleigh;  but  Bert  was  a  freshman, 
and,  therefore,  the  legitimate  prey  of  a  sophomore. 

But  Ready  was  not  vicious  in  his  blows  at  the  fresh- 
men. Though  brave  enough  when  there  was  need, 
there  was  nothing  of  the  arrogant  bully  in  his  nature. 

"Oh,  I  just  want  to  tame  the  fellow  down  a  little," 
Ready  had  more  than  once  explained  to  Merriwell. 
"No ;  I  don't  forget  that  one  brief  twelve  month  agone 
your  humble  servant  was  also  and  likewise  a  fresh- 
man! I'm  not  likely  to  forget  that,  while  you  keep 
whispering  it  in  my  shell-like  ear.  But  Dashleigh  is 
getting  stuck  on  himself.  Perhaps  you'll  say  that  Jack 
Ready,  the  freshman,  was  glued  to  himself  in  great 
large  areas,  and  that  he  hasn't  fully  succeeded  in 
tearing  himself  away  from  that  condition  up  to  the 
present  moment." 

Ready  usually  put  his  hand  in  his  breast  pocket, 
if  he  wore  a  buttoned  coat,  while  making  a  speech  like 
this,  and  assumed  a  tragic  McCready  attitude. 

"Whether  that  is  less  or  more,  or  more  or  less,  I 
shall  have  to  go  for  Mr.  Dashleigh,  the  friend  and 


178  Dashleigh 's  Serenaders. 

roommate  of  Merriwell's  big  new  protege.-  Why,  do 
you  know  what  the  fellow  is  doing?  He  fancies  he 
is  a  Paderewski  with  a  mandolin.  He  is  cultivating 
long  hair  and  a  short  purse.  He  inhabits  Billie's  of 
\  evenings  and  comes  home  from  Chickering's  in  the 
early  hours  of  the  morning  boozy  on  tea  and  cake. 
He  is  even  fancying  himself  an  embryo  poet,  and  is 
writing  warm  rhymes  after  the  fashion  of  our  dear 
English  friend,  the  red-headed  poet,  Algy  Swinburne. 
Oh,  I've  got  to  take  him  down  a  few!" 

Under  the  light  of  a  late  rising  moon,  Bert  Dash- 
leigh  and  a  group  of  sympathetic  freshmen  spirits 
whom  he  had  organized  into  a  mandolin  club,  ap- 
proached the  house  he  supposed  to  be  inhabited  by 
the  object  of  his  new  affection,  Lucile  Hayden. 

Ready  had  heard  Dashleigh  inquiring  of  a  friend 
the  street  and  number  of  Miss  Hayden's  residence, 
which  information  Ready  volunteered  to  supply  him- 
self, a  thing  which  Dashleigh  afterward  thought 
strange,  as  he  believed  that  Ready  was  as  jealous  of 
him  as  he  had  been  of  the  sophomore. 

The  serenaders  lined  up  in  the  moonlight  under 
the  supposed  windows  of  the  fair  Lucy.  The  house 
was  dark;  but  then  the  hour  was  late,  and  they  had 
no  doubt  Lucile  had  retired. 

They  began  to  thump  their  mandolins  and  to  fill 
the  air  with  the  words  and  music  of  one  of  the  latest 
sentimental  songs.  They  told  Lucik  that  she  was 


Dashleigh's  Serenaders.  179 

fair  and  true,  with  a  bonny,  bonny  face  and  eyes  of 
azure  blue.  They  also  harmoniously  and  musically  in- 
formed her  that  if  she  failed  to  bestow  upon  each  and 
all  of  them  her  dainty  jeweled  hand  they  would  go 
away  and  treat  themselves  harshly. 

Dashleigh  was  an  honest  and  clever  fellow,  and  a 
youth  at  Yale  may  do  worse  than  sing  sentimental 
songs  to  the  beauty  of  a  girl  who  has  struck  his  fancy. 
Many  fellows  who  are  not  in  Yale  serenade  the  night 
sky  and  their  charmers  at  the  same  time,  and  are  no 
worse  for  it. 

The  house  was  still  dark — ominously  dark.  Dash- 
leigh began  to  feel  that  perhaps  all  this  sweetness  was 
being  wasted  on  unappreciative  walls.  It  really  began 
to  seem  that  the  place  was  not  inhabited,  or  that  Lucile 
and  all  the  other  inmates  were  away  from  home. 

But  the  serenaders  persevered  through  another 
verse,  this  time  assuring  the  upper  window  that  it  held 
the  whole  of  their  "conscious  thought,"  not  mention- 
'  ing  what  held  their  unconscious  thought. 

This  was  so  loudly  rendered  and  was  sung  with  such 
fervency  that  a  stir  was  heard  in  the  room  above,  the 
window  was  hoisted,  and  a  figure  clad  in  white  be- 
came dimly  visible.  They  could  not  doubt  that  it  was 
Lucile,  and  Dashleigh's  heart  grew  palpitatingly  warm. 

A  hand  was  thrust  out,  and  something  fluttered  to 
the  ground.  It  looked  to  be — it  was — a  bouquet,  ap- 
preciative of  admiration.  Dashleigh  dashed  to  pick 


i8o  Dashleigh's  Serenaders. 

it  up,  resolved  that  he  would  put  those  delicate  flowers 
in  water  in  his  room  and  keep  them  a  very  long  time. 

He  staggered  back  as  he  lifted  the  bouquet  into  the 
light  and  to  his  nostrils.  It  was  large  and  fragrant  of 
strong  musk,  and  was  made  of  cabbage  leaves.  Dash- 
leigh  stared  at  it. 

"What  the  dick " 

The  window  went  up  again  and  a  big  placard  flut- 
tered down.  On  it  was  this  legend : 

"Label  the  cabbage  sour  krout  and  eat  it !" 

A  snicker  seemed  to  come  from  some  shadows  on 
the  grass  a  few  yards  away — a  snicker  that  was  echoed 
by  shadows  back  of  the  shade-trees. 

Dashleigh  and  his  friends  began  to  feel  perspiring 
and  red.  Another  window  went  up  and  another  pla- 
card fluttered  down.  It  read: 

"If  you  don't  want  to  eat  the  bouquet,  please  place 
it  in  a  vase  and  water  it.  The  water  for  the  purpose 
will  now  be  furnished." 

The  astonished  serenaders  had  no  more  than  mas- 
tered this,  when,  with  a  whizz  and  a  roar,  a  hose 
directed  from  one  of  the  upper  windows  treated  them 
to  a  liberal  shower-bath. 

Then  the  shadows  in  the  trees  rose  up  and  whooped, 
and  the  shadows  behind  the  trees  danced  eccentric 
hornpipes.  While  this  was  going  on,  the  white-robed 
figure  cast  aside  its  robe  and  slipped  lightly  down  a 
rope,  which  up  to  that  time  had  hung  unnoticed  against 


Dashleigh's  Serenaders.  181 

the  wall;  and  this  figure  was  followed  by  others,  until 
the  rope  itself  seemed  turned  into  a  line  of  quickly 
descending  figures. 

Before  the  dripping  serenaders  could  fairly  compre- 
hend this  turn  of  affairs,  they  found  themselves  sur- 
rounded by  a  body  of  sophomores,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Jack  Ready,  who  marched  them  away  to  the 
nearest  restaurant  and  made  them  set  up  an  oyster 
supper  for  the  whole  company. 

Ready  had  given  the  number  of  a  house  which  he 
knew  was  unoccupied  and  of  which  he  obtained  pos- 
session for  the  evening.  Thus,  with  these  frolicsome 
sophomore  friends,  he  gratified  his  love  of  practical 
joking. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

STARBRIGHT   THRASHES   MORGAN. 

Vying  with  football  as  a  subject  of  Yale  talk,  were 
the  inter-class  fall  games,  which,  like  all  athletic 
games,  included  runs,  jumps,  vaults,  and  weights,  to 
which  had  been  added  a  five-mile  relay  bicycle-race. 

Bert  Dashleigh  and  Dick  Starbright  found  Frank 
Merriwell  in  their  rooms  the  next  morning  for  the  pur- 
pose of  talking  to  them  about  these  games. 

It  had  been  suggested  by  Murphy,  Camp,  and  others 
that  Merriwell  should  take  the  freshmen  contestants, 
or  such  of  them  as  he  chose,  and  train  them  for  these 
events.  This  was  what  brought  Merriwell  to  the 
rooms  occupied  by  the  two  freshmen. 

"I  have  a  big  undertaking  on  my  hands  if  I  go  into 
this,"  he  explained  to  Starbright  and  Bert,  "for  Mur- 
phy, who  is  one  of  the  best  professional  trainers  in 
America,  has  at  last  agreed  to  train  the  sophomores. 
These  games  are  to  be  between  the  freshmen  and 
sophomores.  I  believe  that  I  can  select  a  team  from 
the  freshmen  that  will  have  a  big  chance  to  win.  I 
have  been  authorized  to  make  the  selection,  for  I 
would  undertake  the  work  in  no  other  way.  I  must 
have  my  own  men,  without  dictation  from  anybody." 

He  stopped  and  looked  at  Starbright,  who  seemed 
to  know  what  was  coming. 


Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan.         183 

"In  the  relay  bicycle-race  I  should  like  to  have  you 
and  Dashleigh.  If  you  consent,  I  will  tell  you  who 
the  others  are  to  be  later,  if  I  can  get  them.  If  you 
do  not  consent,  I  want  you  to  make  no  mention  of  the 
fact  that  I  asked  you  to  go  in  training  for  the  race." 

Dashleigh's  face  flushed  with  pleasure.  This  was 
an  honor  he  could  not  have  anticipated.  He  had  not 
been  asked  to  go  on  the  football-team,  though  he 
fancied  he  could  play  football.  And  for  that  reason, 
combined  with  the  continual  chatter  against  Merriwell 
of  the  Chickering  set  and  their  friends,  he  had  reached 
the  conclusion  that  Merriwell  did  not  like  him  and 
was  not  disposed  to  favor  him,  or  even  give  him  a 
fair  show.  He  wondered  if  Frank  had  heard  anything 
of  the  ungracious  comments  l^e  had  made  about  him, 
and  he  sincerely  hoped  not. 

"How  did  you  know  I  could  ride?"  he  asked. 

"Well,  I  saw  you  taking  a  spin  on  your  wheel  the 
other  day,  and  I  have  taken  the  trouble  to  make  in- 
quiries as  to  your  record  in  that  line." 

"Why,  of  course  I'll  consent,  and  jump  at  the 
chance." 

"You'll  implicitly  obey  orders,  and  ride  for  all  you're 
worth  when  the  time  for  real  riding  comes?" 

"I'd  ride  my  heart  out,  to  win  that  race,  Mr.  Merri- 
well!" 

Frank  saw  that  Dashleigh  was  very  much  in  ear- 
nest, and  he  knew  that  the  freshman  could  be  depended 


184         Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan. 

on  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  win  the  race  from  the 
sophomores. 

"I've  got  a  little  grudge  against  the  sophomore  class, 
anyway!"  he  laughed. 

"And  against  Jack  Ready !"  Frank  quietly  suggested. 

"Heavens!  Is  that  cabbage-bouquet  story  all  over 
the  college  so  soon.  But  perhaps  Ready  told  you?" 

"Well,  I  heard  some  of  the  sophomores  laughing 
about  it  down  by  the  fence  a  while  ago." 

Starbright  had  stretched  himself  out  to  his  full 
length,  with  his  heels,  as  usual,  on  the  window-ledge. 

"You  haven't  given  an  answer  yet,  Dick?" 

The  big  freshman's  feet  came  down. 

"Of  course  I'll  do  all  I  can,  if  I'm  chosen.  I  made 
something  of  a  record  at  Andover,  but  I'm  a  little 
out  of  practise.  I'm  big  and  heavy,  though !" 

"You'll  do.     I  suppose  you  ride  a  heavy  wheel  ?" 

"Rather.    A  high  frame,  with  a  big  sprocket." 

Frank  looked  at  the  freshman's  brawny  limbs. 

"Both  of  you  will  do.  And  I'm  glad  you've  ac- 
cepted. If  the  other  fellows  I  have  in  mind  will  ac- 
cept and  go  right  to  work,  we'll  give  the  sophomores 
a  rub  for  the  honors,  even  if  they  are  to  be  trained  by 
Murphy." 

That  evening  Bart  Hodge  came  into  Frank's  rooms 
in  Vanderbilt  fairly  seething.  Frank  had  selected  for 
the  relay  bicycle-race  Starbright,  Dashleigh,  Morgan, 
and  two  light-weight  riders.  Frank  knew  Hodge's 


Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan.         185 

ways  better  than  any  other  man,  and  he  continued  his 
reading,  only  looking  up  to  nod. 

"Do  you  know,  Merry,  the  way  you're  doing  this 
fall  makes  me  wish  I'd  never  come  back  to  Yale  with 
you!" 

"Why,  I  thought  you  came  back  to  graduate." 

"I  came  back  as  much  as  anything  to  be  with  you, 
and  to  whoop  things  up  for  you  in  an  athletic  way,  and 
you  know  it.  As  an  old  friend,  I  think  I'm  entitled 
to  something." 

Frank  put  down  his  book. 

"So  you  are,  Hodge.  You're  entitled  to  my  warm- 
est friendship,  and  I'm  glad  to  have  yours." 

"Well,  you  don't  act  like  it  a  little  bit.  You  pay 
no  attention  to  any  advice  I  give  you,  but  go  right  on, 
making  one  big  blunder  after  another." 

Hodge's  temper  was  so  torrid  that  cool  autumn 
night  that  he  could  not  sit  down  in  a  chair,  but  went 
steaming  round  the  room,  with  his  hands  in  his  pock- 
ets, muttering  his  grievances. 

"Be  kind  enough  to  tell  me  what  you're  talking 
about." 

"It's  about  this  freshmen  team!"  Hodge  snapped. 

"Who  has  been  telling  you  the  personnel  of  the 
team?" 

"Well,  Browning  has!" 

One  of  Bart's  causes  of  anger  was  that  he  fancied 


1 86         Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan. 

Frank  had  slighted  him  by  first  communicating  the 
information  to  Browning. 

"It's  a  good  team,  Hodge !" 

Hodge  turned  and  faced  him,  with  angry,  blazing 
eyes. 

"Merry,  you're  the  strangest  man  I  ever  met!" 

"And  you've  known  me  a  good  while!" 

"Yes,  I  have.  That  is,  I  fancied  I  knew  you.  But 
you  grow  more  puzzling  every  day.  I  don't  believe 
you  half -know  yourself." 

"That's  quite  likely.  The  man  who  thoroughly 
knows  himself  must  be  a  rare  man." 

Merriwell  was  smiling,  in  spite  of  Hodge's  furious 
outburst,  and  this  seemed  to  make  Hodge  more  furi- 
ous. 

"Now,  tell  me  what  I've  done." 

"Why,  you've  made  a  beastly  fool  of  yourself  by  se- 
lecting Dade  Morgan  for  that  freshmen  bicycle-race!" 

"I  don't  think  so!" 

"Why,  he  has  done  everything  in  his  power  to  in- 
jure you!  You  weren't  more  than  out  of  his  presence, 
I'll  guarantee,  before  he  was  hatching  lies  about  you 
and  planning  to  down  you.  He's  threatened  to  your 
face  to  'do'  you,  and  yet  you  go  right  on  licking  the 
hand  that  rubs  you  all  over  with  dirt.  It  makes  me 
weary !" 

Merriwell  was  sitting  straight  up  in  his  chair  now. 


Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan.         187 

The  smile  had  gone  from  his  face.  Nevertheless,  he 
was  struggling  hard  to  keep  his  temper  and  handle 
Hodge  with  patience. 

"My  dear  Bart,  why  do  you  suppose  I  took  charge 
of  the  training  of  those  freshmen?" 

Hodge  had  walked  away,  but  again  faced  him. 

"Hanged  if  I  know!    I  wouldn't  have  done  it." 

"But  if  you  had  done  such  a  thing,  what  would  have 
been  your  object?  Cool  down,  now,  and  answer  that 
question." 

"For  the  good  of  the  freshmen  class,  I  suppose." 

"And  to  win  the  race  for  them?" 

"Yes!    But " 

"Just  get  off  the  safety-valve  a  minute!" 

"But  you  could  do  all  that  without  favoring  Dade 
Morgan !  There  was  no  sort  of  sense  in  that.  He's 
a  snake.  He'll  do  some  dirt,  just  as  sure  as  you  live." 

Frank  was  smiling  in  a  way  that  should  have  given 
Hodge  warning. 

"Dade  Morgan  is  the  fastest  bicyclist  in  the  whole 
freshman  class.  I  know  that  he  has  tried  to  injure 
me,  that  he  is  a  low  cur  in  many  ways,  that  he  hates 
me  like  poison.  I  know  all  that,  as  well  as  you  do. 
But  that  doesn't  change  the  fact  that  he's  simply  a 
wizard  on  a  bicycle.  If  I  go  on  with  the  training, 
which  I  shall,  I  can't  throw  away  any  chance  of  win- 
ning. I  have  picked  what  I  believe  to  be  winning 
riders,  regardless  of  who  they  are.  And  more  than 


1 88         Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan. 

that,  Hodge,  I  intend  to  let  Dade  Morgan  ride  the  final 
and  crucial  mile  of  the  race." 

Hodge  again  went  into  the  air. 

"The  scoundrel!"  he  panted.  "Surely  you  won't 
honor  him  in  that  way,  Merry!" 

"I  intend  to  honor  him  in  just  that  way,  if  it's  an 
honor!  He  can  ride  that  last  mile  to  win,  if  any  one 
can;  and  winning  is  what  we  want." 

"But  think  what  he  did  to  your  father!" 

"Morton  Agnew  did  that." 

"But  Morgan  was  back  of  him.  They're  hand-in- 
glove.  Starbright  overheard  them  talking  together  in 
the  train  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  New  Haven  at 
the  opening  of  college." 

"I'm  sure  Morgan  knew  nothing  of  what  Agnew 
did." 

"Why,  it  was  Morgan  who  threw  that  tennis-racket 
down  from  the  window  and  tripped  you  in  the  chariot- 
race  in  the  'Circus  Maximus.' ' 

"We  think  it  was." 

"You  know  that  it  was !" 

"All  of  which  doesn't  alter  my  decision.  I  have 
taken  these  freshmen  to  win  with  them.  I  can't  afford 
to  discard  Dade  Morgan." 

"You  would  honor  him  if  he  were  a  devil!"  Hodge 
fiercely  exclaimed. 

"That's  enough,  Hodge !  I  haven't  asked  you  to  do 
my  thinking  for  me." 


Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan. 

'Why,  Merry,  you're  a — a " 


He  hesitated  when  he  saw  the  look  in  Frank's  eye. 

"We're  friends,  Hodge.  Don't  make  it  impossible 
for  me  to  be  your  friend.  I  know  better  than  you  do 
what  I  want  to  do  and  what  I'm  capable  of  doing." 

"But  think  of  what  will  be  said!" 

"By  whom?" 

"By  all  the  fellows." 

"I  don't  care  a  turn  of  my  hand  for  that.  I've 
found  that  the  only  way  to  do  in  this  world  is  to  go 
right  along  and  do  what  you  consider  right,  and  pay 
no  heed  to  the  gossip  and  slanders  of  people  who  dis" 
like  you." 

"Well,  it  makes  me  want  to  say  that  you're  a  fool 
The  whole  thing  simply  makes  me  sick!" 

Whereupon  Hodge  stalked  out  of  the  room  and 
stamped  angrily  down-stairs. 

That  night,  as  Dick  Starbright  lounged  past  the 
"Hyperion,"  while  the  crowd  was  pouring  out  at  the 
end  of  the  play,  he  was  surprised  and  bewildered  to 
see  Rosalind  Thornton  on  the  arm  of  Dade  Morgan, 

At  sight  of  them  he  caught  his  breath  with  a  gasp 
and  leaned  for  support  against  the  wall,  feeling 
strangely  weak  and  faint. 

Rosalind  did  not  look  in  his  direction;  but  Dade 
Morgan  turned  his  eyes  that  way,  as  if  with  the  in- 
stinctive feeling  that  an  enemy  was  near. 


190         Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan. 

A  flush  came  to  Morgan's  dark,  handsome  face, 
and  there  was  a  steely  triumphant  flash  in  his  dark 
eyes,  which  was  immediately  concealed  by  the  droop- 
ing of  the  lids.  Then  he  and  Rosalind  passed  on,  leav- 
ing Dick  Starbright  white  and  shaken. 

Dashleigh  came  sailing  by  at  this  moment,  and 
caught  Dick's  arm  in  his  jaunty,  effervescent  way. 

"Say,  old  fellow,  Dade's  got  your  girl!"  he  whis- 
pered. "Alas!  A  lass  is  ofttimes  false  and  fickle." 

Starbright  shook  him  off,  with  a  wrathful  exclama- 
tion. 

"Hot,  eh?    Well,  I  don't  blame  you." 

He  made  a  dive  through  the  crowd  for  a  member 
of  his  mandolin  club,  whom  he  chanced  to  spy. 

Starbright  turned  away  and  walked  down  the  street. 
He  wanted  a  chance  to  think.  What  did  it  mean,  any- 
way? Dade  was  a  handsome,  dashing  fellow!  Per- 
haps   Yes,  it  looked  so!  Rosalind  had  taken  a 

fancy  to  Dade,  and  intended  to  throw  over  her  old 
admirer. 

"Let  her  go!"  Dick  snarled.  "There  are  just  as 
good  fish  in  the  sea  as  were  ever  caught  out  of  it !" 

Yet,  even  while  giving  mental  expression  to  this  old 
saw,  he  could  not  crowd  down  the  feeling  that  there 
were  not  as  good  fish  in  the  sea  of  the  world  as  the 
dark-eyed  girl  who  had  so  caught  his  fancy. 

Then  a  thought  came  to  him,  which  humiliated  while 


Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan.         191 

it  staggered  him.  Dade  Morgan  had  done  this  to  make 
him  jealous,  in  the  belief  that  jealousy  would  drive 
him  to  drink. 

In  his  talks  with  Merriwell  he  had  received  the  idea, 
though  Frank  had  not  put  it  into  plain  words,  that 
Morgan  was  trying  to  get  the  advantage  of  him  and 
degrade  him  in  some  such  way.  He  remembered  the 
two  attempts  of  Roland  Packard,  which  he  was  now 
sure  were  inspired  by  Morgan. 

Starbright's  mind  was  in  a  whirl.  He  was  angry  at 
Morgan.  He  was  also  angry,  though  in  a  different 
way,  at  Rosalind  Thornton.  Still,  he  tried  to  think 
that  she  did  not  really  understand  what  sort  of  fellow 
Morgan  was  or  she  would  not  have  gone  to  the  play 
with  him. 

More  than  once,  Dick  was  on  the  point  of  going  to 
his  rooms ;  but  he  remained  outside,  walking  back  and 
forth,  trying  to  come  to  some  conclusion. 

Suddenly,  as  he  turned  in  his  walk,  he  found  him- 
self face  to  face  with  Morgan.  He  could  not  avoid 
a  feeling  that  this  meeting  was  intended. 

"So  you  and  I  are  of  the  bicyclists  who  are  to  be 
trained  by  Merriwell?"  said  Morgan. 

The  words  were  civilly  spoken,  but  Dick  fancied 
that  he  detected  underneath  them  a  sneer.  He  was 
about  to  turn  away  without  speaking,  but  changed 
his  mind  and  walked  straight  up  to  Morgan. 


192         Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan. 

"Of  course  you  did  that  to-night,  hoping  that  you 
could  make  me  jealous !" 

"Miss  Thornton?  Bah!  You  don't  suppose  I 
trouble  to  think  about  you  at  all?" 

The  big  freshman  trembled.  He  did  not  doubt 
longer  that  not  only  was  this  meeting  of  Dade's  seek- 
ing, but  that  Dade  had  taken  Rosalind  to  the  play  for 
no  other  purpose  than  to  anger  him. 

"I've  been  wanting  to  tell  you  for  some  time,  Star- 
bright,  that  you've  got  an  unendurable  swelled  head," 
Morgan  went  on,  in  a  self-contradictory  way.  "You 
seem  to  think  that  the  earth  and  the  fullness  thereof 
was  simply  made  for  you.  Don't  be  so  conceited  as 
to  imagine  that  people  are  thinking  about  you  all  the 
time.  When  I  think  about  anything,  it's  about  some- 
thing that's  worth  while." 

He  turned  as  if  to  pass  Starbright.  Dick  drew 
himself  to  his  full  height  and  put  out  his  arm  as  a  bar. 

"You  will  eat  those  words,  Morgan,  or  I'll  choke 
them  down  your  throat !" 

Morgan's  eyes  flashed  fire. 

"Will  I  ?    Then  I  don't  think  you  know  me !" 

"If  any  girl  chooses  you  in  preference  to  me,  that's 
all  right.  I  would  never  trouble  you  about  that.  I 
should  simply  pity  the  girl's  taste." 

"More  case  of  swelled  head!"  Morgan  sneered. 
"Starbright,  you're  an  insufferable  cad." 

Dick's  arm  went  up  as  if  he  intended  to  strike  Mor- 


Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan.         193 

gan  in  the  face.  The  temptation  was  almost  irresist- 
ible, but  he  controlled  it. 

"I  should  never  have  spoken  to  you  about  that  girl, 
or  any  other  girl.  That's  not  my  style.  But  when 
you  use  such  words  to  me  as  you  have  just  used,  that's 
a  different  thing." 

"Bah!" 

Dick  took  hold  of  Morgan's  sleeve  and  jerked  him 
forward.  They  were  standing  beneath  an  electric 
light,  and  people  were  moving  up  and  down  the  street. 

"Morgan,  you're  a  coward  and  a  pusillanimous  cur ! 
If  you'll  step  with  me  to  the  shadows  of  those  trees, 
where  there  is  no  danger  of  a  policeman  interfering 
with  us,  I'll  take  pleasure  in  giving  you  the  soundest 
thrashing  of  your  life." 

"Bah!    I'm  not  a  prize-fighter!" 

In  an  instant  Starbright's  hard  fist  shot  out,  and 
Dade  Morgan  rolled  in  the  gutter.  The  blow  had 
come  so  suddenly  that  Morgan  was  not  prepared  for 
it.  But  he  came  of  fighting  stock,  and  there  was  not 
a  cowardly  drop  of  blood  in  his  body.  He  picked  him- 
self up  coolly,  brushed  the  dirt  from  his  clothing  with 
the  utmost  nonchalance,  looked  at  Starbright,  who 
stood  panting  and  white,  and  hissed : 

"My  dear  friend,  I'm  ready  to  accommodate  you  to 
the  limit.  We'll  adjourn  this  little  meeting  to  the 
shadows  you  suggest." 

A  minute  later  a  furious  fight  was  in  progress.    Dick 


194         Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan. 

was  taller  and  stronger,  with  a  greater  reach  of  arm, 
while  Morgan  was  sinewy  and  as  quick  as  a  deer. 

Twice  Starbright  knocked  him  to  the  ground,  but 
each  time  Dade  Morgan  sprang  up  with  a  snarl,  com- 
ing at  Starbright  with  an  impetuosity  that  is  indescri- 
bable. He  was  a  trained  and  scientific  fighter,  and  Star- 
bright  soon  had  his  hands  full,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
he  had  first  got  in  some  heavy  and  telling  blows. 

For  the  third  time  Dick  stretched  Morgan  his  full 
length  on  the  grass.  He  did  not  rise  at  once,  and  Dick 
stood  before  him,  white-faced  and  panting,  with  a 
feeling  of  meanness  and  humiliation. 

He  did  not  like  to  fight,  and  he  was  ashamed  now 
of  what  he  had  done.  He  told  himself  that  he  was 
simply  a  big  brute,  and  that  in  considering  himself 
better  than  Dade  Morgan  he  was  really  and  truly  the 
victim  of  an  enormously  swelled  head. 

He  was  beginning  to  be  rather  frightened  over  Mor- 
gan's condition,  when  the  latter  came  to  his  senses  and 
slowly  got  to  his  feet.  He  did  not  venture  another 
dash,  but  looked  at  Dick  wth  eyes  that  burned  wkh 
the  intensity  of  deadly  hate. 

"This  thing  isn't  settled,  Starbright!"  he  hissed. 
"Remember  that,  will  you.  It  will  be  settled  later." 

Then  he  turned  away,  leaving  Starbright  shivering 
and  anathematizing  himself  for  having  been  a  bulldog 
and  a  fool,  instead  of  a  gentleman. 

The  next  day  he  encountered  Rosalind  Thornton. 


Starbright  Thrashes  Morgan.         195 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  seemed  about  to  pass 
on ;  but  turned  and  said,  with  a  frown : 

"I'm  sorry  that  you  think  I  have  such  poor  taste!" 

"That's  all  right !"  Dick  declared,  for  he  knew  from 
her  words  and  manner  she  had  seen  Morgan  and  he 
had  told  her  something  of  the  conversation  of  the 
previous  evening. 

"You  didn't  offer  to  take  me  to  the  play,  and  Mr. 
Morgan  did !"  she  went  on. 

"That's  all  right,  too!"  was  Dick's  amswer.  "If  you 
like  the  company  of  a  chap  like  Morgan,  you  surely 
can't  like  the  company  of  a  fellow  like  me!" 

She  flushed  and  turned  to  pass  on,  thinking  he 
would  call  her  back. 

But  she  was  mistaken.  With  a  pained  light  in  his 
honest  eyes,  Dick  watched  her  walk  on  down  the  street, 
then  returned  to  the  campus  and  to  his  rooms. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

TRAINING   AND   SENTIMENT. 

Frank  Merriwell  began  without  delay  his  work  of 
training  the  freshmen  he  had  chosen  for  the  athletic 
contests.  He  knew  that  it  would  be  hard  work  to  put 
them  in  condition  to  successfully  meet  the  sophomores, 
but  he  went  about  his  task  with  enthusiasm  and  a  will. 

One  of  his  requirements  of  every  man  selected  was 
implicit  obedience.  Dick  had  promised  this  readily, 
but  he  felt  like  rebelling  the  very  first  day,  when  Mer- 
riwell changed  him  from  the  list  of  bicyclists  and  told 
him  to  go  to  work  to  do  the  best  he  could  at  throwing 
the  hammer  and  putting  the  shot. 

Yet  Starbright  did  not  openly  rebel,  for  his  experi- 
ence as  captain  of  the  football  eleven  at  Andover  had 
shown  him  how  necessary  it  is  for  the  captain  to  have 
supreme  and  unquestioned  command. 

Frank  had  seen  in  the  first  practise  races  that  Star- 
bright  was  too  heavy  for  swift  bicycle  work.  He  was 
too  tall,  also,  and  it  was  Merriwell's  opinion  that  a 
lighter  man  would  do  better. 

Besides,  Starbright  was  the  largest  of  the  freshmen, 
towering  above  all,  and  with  a  superb  girth  of  chest 
and  shoulders  that  made  him  a  promising  candidate 
for  honors  in  the  class  to  which  he  was  now  assigned. 

There  was  an  advantage  in  another  sense  in  this 


Training  and  Sentiment.  197 

change,  and  Dick  wondered  if  Merriwell  had  it  in 
mind  in  making  it.  The  change  separated  him  from 
Dade  Morgan.  He  did  not  know  how  Frank  had  dis- 
covered that  he  and  Morgan  had  come  to  blows,  but 
he  had  a  feeling  that  Frank  knew  it. 

Perhaps  that  was  because  both  he  and  Morgan  had 
appeared  on  the  campus  with  suspicious-looking  bits 
of  court-plaster  on  their  faces.  Dade  had  a  discolored 
eye  that  all  the  applications  of  raw  beef  he  made  could 
not  immediately  remove. 

Mike  Murphy  was  also  industriously  training  his 
sophomore  team,  and  the  practise  work  of  the  two 
teams  and  the  near  approach  of  the  athletic  events 
themselves  drew  so  much  attention  that  soon  the  stu- 
dents almost  forgot  to  talk  about  football  and  the  com- 
ing prophesied  successes  on  the  gridiron  for  this  newer 
and  more  immediate  topic. 

Wherever  Yale  men  met,  on  the  street,  in  the  cam- 
pus, in  their  rooms,  or  in  the  places  which  so  many 
of  them  frequented  of  evenings,  the  one  subject  of  dis- 
cussion was  some  form  of  athletics. 

This,  with  the  chances  of  various  men  for  secret 
society  honors,  occupied  so  much  of  the  time  and 
thought  of  a  certain  class  that  Starbright  often  won- 
dered when  and  how  they  found  opportunity  for  study. 
As  for  himself,  in  spite  of  his  strenuous  training,  and 
in  spite  of  the  thoughts  that  treubled  him,  he  persist- 
ently ground  away  at  his  books. 


198  Training  and  Sentiment. 

He  studied  as  he  trained  and  as  he  played,  with  a 
sublime  enthusiasm  for  the  work.  He  sent  no  note 
to  Rosalind  and  sought  to  make  no  further  calls  on 
her.  Now  and  then  he  saw  her  with  Morgan,  and  he 
heard  from  Dashleigh  whatever  of  gossip  was  worth 
hearing  concerning  the  matter. 

Dashleigh  was  showering  his  attentions  on  the 
languid  Lucile,  who  thought  it  "just  wonderfully 
strange"  that  Starbright  and  Rosalind  were  no  more 
to  be  seen  together. 

In  these  days  there  was  one  thing  worthy  of  special 
note.  If  Dade  Morgan  expected  Dick  Starbright  to 
become  a  frequenter  of  Traeger's  and  Billie's  and  other 
places,  for  the  purpose  of  filling  himself  with  intoxi- 
cants, he  was  given  a  decided  disappointment.  In  the 
first  day  or  two  after  that  encounter  with  Morgan, 
Dick  had  been  forced  to  fight  a  great  battle  against  his 
under  nature.  But  he  manfully  won  the  struggle. 

Thus  studying  and  thinking  and  training,  as  if  his 
life  depended  on  it,  Dick  Starbright  wore  the  days 
quickly  away. 

One  evening  he  received  a  note  from  Rosalind.  She 
desired  to  see  him  at  the  residence  of  her  aunt,  Mrs. 
Throckmorton. 

Dick  debated  a  while  with  himself  whether  or  not 
to  go ;  but  ended  by  going,  as  he  knew  he  would  from 
the  first.  When  he  came  back  to  his  rooms,  finding 


Training  and  Sentiment.  199 

Bert  Dashleigh  there,  Bert  noticed  that  his  step  was 
lighter. 

Bert  did  not  at  once  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
he  observed  any  alteration  in  the  demeanor  of  his 
friend  and  roommate.  But  at  last  he  found  oppor- 
tunity to  say : 

"I  knew  she  didn't  really  care  anything  for  Mor- 
gan." 

Starbright  jumped  in  his  chair. 

"How  did  you  know  what  I  was  thinking  of?" 

"You  haven't  been  thinking  of  anything  else  since 
you  sat  down  there.  Right,  am  I  not?" 

"Well,  yes,  if  you  mean  Miss  Thornton.  She 
doesn't  think  much  of  Morgan.  She  told  me  so  her- 
self." 

"Oh,  I  knew  it!"  said  Dashleigh.  "You  see,  I'm  a 
mind-reader." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A     COWARDLY     DEED. 

A  great  crowd  gathered  at  the  Yale  field  on  the 
afternoon  set  for  the  athletic  contests  between  the 
sophomores  and  freshmen.  Not  only  did  the  whole 
college  turn  out,  but  New  Haven  itself  sent  a  heavy 
contingent. 

Yale  colors  were  everywhere,  and  the  class  cries  of 
the  sophomores  and  freshmen  rose  almost  continu- 
ously. 

Frank  Merriwell  had  worked  hard,  and  the  men  se- 
lected by  him  to  uphold  the  honor  of  the  freshmen  had 
been  no  sluggards. 

"You're  all  right,  and  your  men  will  win,  if  there's 
no  treachery  on  the  part  of  Dade  Morgan.  I'm  look- 
ing for  that.  But  I've  my  eye  on  the  fellow,  and  if  he 
makes  any  break,  I'll  simply  crack  his  neck  for  him !" 

Bart  Hodge  was  speaking  to  Merriwell.  He  be- 
lieved that  Morgan  was  so  treacherous  that  he  could 
not  be  relied  on  in  any  particular. 

Merriwell  did  not  trust  Morgan,  but  he  felt  that 
Dade  would  not  wish  to  hurt  his  own  reputation  and 
lose  caste  among  the  students  and  freshmen  by  at- 
tempting in  any  way  to  injure  the  freshmen's  chances 
of  winning.  He  fancied,  too,  that  Dade  desired  to 
make  a  point  by  doing  his  best  for  the  honor  of  his 


A  Cowardly  Deed.  201 

class  even  under  the  leadership  of  Merriwell,  whose 
friend  he  was  known  not  to  be.  And  Frank's  reason- 
ing seemed  correct. 

Bart  and  Frank  were  standing  near  one  of  the  high 
board  fences  as  they  talked,  and  were  surveying  the 
crowd  that  continued  to  stream  into  the  grounds. 
They  could  see  that  it  was  to  be  an  unusually  large  one. 
The  fact  that  Frank  Merriwell  and  Mike  Murphy  were 
the  trainers  of  the  teams  that  were  to  compete  had 
done  more  than  anything  else  to  draw  out  so  many 
people,  for  it  was  realized  that  under  such  training 
record-breaking  events  might  be  anticipated. 

As  Hodge  turned  to  walk  away,  leaving  Frank 
standing  alone  by  the  fence,  a  shot  sounded  in  the 
fringe  of  woods  at  some  distance,  something  was  heard 
to  "spat"  sharply  against  the  board  wall,  and  Merri- 
well was  seen  to  reel  and  put  his  hands  to  his  face. 

Bart,  who  was  a  dozen  feet  away,  jumped  toward 
his  friend,  with  a  cry  on  his  lips  and  a  great  fear  in 
his  heart.  The  shot  had  thrown  the  field  into  the 
utmost  excitement. 

"Merriwell's  shot!  Merriwell's  killed!"  was  heard 
on  every  hand;  and  a  number  of  men  ran  across  to- 
ward him,  followed  by  a  jamming  throng  of  excited 
Yale  men  and  citizens. 

Frank  had  not  fallen,  but  was  now  supported  by 
Bart  Hodge. 

Several  students  on  bicycles,  and  others  running  on 


2O2  A  Cowardly  Deed. 

foot,  were  darting  away  toward  the  point  in  the  woods 
from  whence  the  shot  had  come.  Among  these  was 
Bert  Dashleigh. 

Inza  Burrage  and  Elsie  Bellwood  had  seats  together 
in  one  of  the  stands — seats  secured  for  them  by  Frank 
at  a  point  where  they  could  have  the  most  favorable 
view  of  the  games. 

Both  had  leaped  to  their  feet  with  cries  of  excite- 
ment, Inza  with  a  dark,  flushed  face,  and  Elsie  with 
cheeks  as  white  as  snow,  and  now  began  to  push  their 
way  through  the  crowd,  Inza  in  the  lead,  fighting  like 
a  tigress  for  passageway. 

When  they  gained  Frank's  side,  after  what  seemed 
to  both  of  them  an  interminable  time,  they  found  him 
leaning  against  the  fence,  with  Oliver  Packard  apply- 
ing something  to  his  face  and  eyes.  Bart  had  his  arms 
round  his  friend,  though  Frank  seemed  well  able  to 
support  himself. 

Ready  and  others  were  there,  and  big  Bruce  Brown- 
ing, with  shoulders  and  strength  of  a  giant,  was  push- 
ing back  the  curious  crowd  and  savagely  declaring 
that  Frank  did  not  need  help,  but  simply  plenty  of  air. 

"What's  the  matter?"  Inza  asked,  while  Elsie  stood 
panting  and  mute  by  her  side,  clinging  to  her  arm.  "Is 
he  shot?" 

Frank  heard  the  words  and  took  away  the  handker- 
chief with  which  he  had  just  covered  his  eyes. 

This  revealed  a  face  red  as  fire  and  eyes  that  seemed 


A  Cowardly  Deed.  203 

half-burned  out  of  his  head.  Yet  his  attempted  smile 
as  he  turned  toward  the  girls  showed  that  he  recog- 
nized them,  and  it  told  them  that  the  sight  of  his  eyes 
was  not  injured. 

"No,  I  wasn't  shot,"  said  Frank,  "but  some  miscre- 
ant fired  something  from  the  woods,  which  struck  the 
fence  here  and  almost  put  my  eyes  out." 

Oliver  Packard  nodded  significantly  to  the  fence 
which  showed  a  brownish  round  spot. 

"I  think  it  must  have  been  a  bomb  fired  from  a 
gun,"  Packard  explained.  "It  contained  some  kind 
of  intensely  irritating  substance,  I  don't  know  just 
what;  and  when  it  exploded  on  striking  the  fence, 
Frank's  face  and  eyes  were  filled  with  this  substance." 

Packard's  applications  of  some  soothing  fluid 
seemed  to  be  giving  Merriwell  much  relief. 

Mike  Murphy,  the  trainer  of  the  sophomores,  pushed 
forward  to  express  his  sympathy  and  denounce  the  au- 
thor of  the  outrage.  He  was  also  kind  enough  to  say 
that  if  Merriwell  wished  a  postponement  of  the  games, 
he  was  perfectly  willing  that  this  should  be  done, 

"No,"  said  Merriwell,  in  response  to  this  last.  "The 
crowd  is  here,  and  we  will  not  disappoint  them.  The 
teams  can  go  on  with  the  work  without  my  supervision, 
if  necessary.  But  I  think  my  eyes  will  be  much  better 
in  a  little  while." 

A  shout  went  up  from  the  direction,  of  the  woods, 
and  the  men  who  had  run  out  that  way  appeared  to 


204  A  Cowardly  Deed. 

be  much  excited.  Soon  a  dozen  pushed  themselves  out 
of  the  seething,  shouting  mass,  and  it  was  seen  that 
they  had  a  man  in  their  midst. 

Bart  Hodge  had  caught  sight  of  Dade  Morgan  near 
at  hand,  and  rinding  that  his  presence  was  not  actually 
needed,  he  spoke  to  Frank  and  vanished.  He  wanted 
to  watch  him,  for  he  believed  that  the  fellow  had  been 
concerned  in  what  had  occurred. 

"Merry  was  a  fool  for  trusting  that  rascal  a  min- 
ute!" he  growled,  as  he  hastened  away. 

As  the  crowd  from  the  woods  came  nearer,  Dash- 
leigh  was  seen  in  its  midst,  sitting  on  his  bicycle  in  a 
weak  and  flabby  state,  supported  by  two  students. 

In  the  dash  for  the  woods,  Bert's  bicycle  had  col- 
lided with  another,  and  he  had  been  hurled  heavily  to 
the  ground,  suffering  bruises  and  contusions,  not  the 
least  of  which  was  the  laming  of  an  ankle. 

"Knocked  out  of  the  race!"  was  Ready's  thought, 
when  his  eyes  fell  on  the  injured  bicyclist. 

There  was  no  joy  in  his  heart,  but  only  regret  and 
sorrow,  even  though  he  was  on  the  competing  list  of 
sophomore  wheelmen. 

The  crowd  surged  rapidly  forward,  those  in  the 
front  half -running.  When  they  came  up,  it  was  found 
that  they  had  a  trampish  fellow,  whom  they  had  found 
lying  under  a  tree,  either  asleep  or  shamming.  He  had 
roused  up  in  an  apparently  dazed  way  when  stirred 


A  Cowardly  Deed.  205 

with  the  toe  of  a  senior  boot,  and  had  seemed  to  be 
the  most  surprised  man  there. 

Two  hundred  yards  or  more  from  where  he  had 
been  discovered  was  found  a  shotgun,  from  which  a 
load  seemed  to  have  been  recently  discharged. 

There  was  no  other  evidence  against  the  man.  He 
stood  awkwardly  before  Frank,  pulling  at  his  shabby 
hat,  which  he  held  in  his  hands,  as  these  explanations 
were  given  by  his  captors. 

"Hold  him  in  a  dressing-room  until  later,"  was 
Frank's  command. 

Though  his  eyes  were  still  burning  and  his  face  was 
red  and  inflamed,  he  took  the  shotgun  and  looked  it 
over.  Powder  marks  showed  that  one  barrel  had  been 
recently  discharged. 

"We'll  go  on  with  the  games !"  he  declared.  "Keep 
the  shotgun,  too.  We  may  need  it  as  evidence  by  and 
by." 

Though  men  were  still  making  a  search  through  the 
woods  and  adjacent  fields,  preparations  for  the  games 
went  on. 

Bruce  Browning  had  been  sent  out  by  Frank  to  look 
after  the  interests  of  the  freshmen,  and  Frank  sat 
alone  in  a  dressing-room,  thinking  over  what  had 
occurred. 

Only  one  thing  was  plain  to  him :  Some  one  who 
desired  to  injure  him  had  fired  the  bomb  from  the 
gun.  Possibly  it  had  been  meant  merely  as  a  blow 


206  A  Cowardly  Deed. 

at  the  trainer  of  the  freshmen  by  some  one  who.wanted 
the  freshmen  to  lose,  but  more  likely  the  deed  had  been 
done  by  some  one  who  had  personal  malice.  Bart 
came  in,  raging. 

"Morgan  may  be  mixed  up  in  this  thing,"  Frank  ad- 
mitted, "though  there  is  no  evidence  against  him  so 
far." 

"Who  else  hates  you  as  he  does?" 

"Perhaps  no  one,  though  I've  plenty  of  enemies 
here,  as  you  know.  But  no  matter  how  he  hates  me, 
that  of  itself  doesn't  constitute  proof." 

"It's  proof  enough  for  me." 

There  was  a  rap  on  the  post  of  the  door.  Bart  rose 
cautiously  to  ascertain  who  the  visitor  was,  for  he  was 
resolved  that,  so  far  as  he  could  help  it,  there  should 
be  no  more  dastardly  attempts  to  injure  Merriwell  that 
day.  He  saw  before  him  Bert  Dashleigh. 

"I've  been  trying  to  find  you  for  some  time,"  said 
Bert,  as  he  was  admitted  to  Merriwell's  presence. 

Frank  noticed  that  he  limped  as  he  came  in. 

"I  found  this  out  there  in  the  woods,"  said  Bert. 
Then  he  produced  a  torn  scrap  from  a  letter. 

"It  was  jammed  into  the  soil  by  a  kick  from  a  boot 
heel.  I  saw  an  edge  of  it  and  dug  it  out,  thinking  it 
might  be  of  importance." 

Frank  was  looking  with  his  throbbing  eyes  at  the 
torn  and  discolored  slip. 

"This  is  all  you  could  find  ?" 


A  Cowardly  Deed.  207 

"Yes,  and  I  looked  all  about.  I  couldn't  make  a  very 
big  search,  you  know,  for  my  ankle  pained  me,  but  I 
asked  some  of  the  other  fellows  to,  and  they  did,  but 
found  nothing  more." 

Frank  passed  the  torn  piece  of  paper  to  Bart.  This 
is  what  he  read: 

worth  a  hundred  to  you. 

"HECTOR  KING/' 

On  the  first  line,  which  the  tear  had  zigzagged,  were 
two  incomplete  words,  and  on  the  lower  lines  the  in- 
complete sentence  and  the  signature. 

"There's  part  of  your  name  here,"  said  Bart,  "and 
that  other  must  mean  'preparation.'  I  should  say  it 
is  part  of  a  letter  to  that  tramp,  containing  instructions 
as  to  how  to  do  you,  and  an  offer  of  a  hundred  dollars 
if  he  succeeded." 

Merriwell  took  the  paper  and  examined  the  marks 
of  the  boot  heel  on  it.  Several  nail-prints  were  visible. 

"We'll  keep  this,  too,  and  by  and  by  we'll  see  if  it 
tallies  with  the  nails  in  the  boot  heel  of  the  tramp — if 
he  is  a  tramp!" 

Then  he  turned  to  Bert. 

"My  eyes  are  getting  better,  and  I'll  soon  be  all  right, 
I  hope.  If  not,  the  games  can  go  on  without  me.  But 
you?  You've  hurt  your  ankle!" 

Bert  explained  how  it  had  happened. 


208  A  Cowardly  Deed. 

"I'm  afraid  I  can't  ride  in  that  relay  race,  Merri- 
well." 

"I  shall  have  to  find  a  substitute.  Luckily  we've  had 
others  in  training  to  take  the  place  of  any  of  the  regu- 
lar men  who  should  happen  to  get  knocked  out  before 
the  contest." 

"What  do  you  think  of  this  business?  Wasn't  it 
Morgan?"  Bart  asked,  when  Dashleigh  had  retired, 
after  receiving  Frank's  praise  for  what  he  had  done. 

"I  don't  know.  I  shall  make  it  my  business  to  find 
out.  Now  I'm  going  out  to  see  how  matters  are 
progressing." 

"But  your  eyes !" 

Frank  was  applying  the  preparation  which  Oliver 
Packard,  the  young  medical  student,  had  left  for  him. 

"Well,  they  might  be  better.  And  again  they  might 
be  worse.  But  I  can  see  all  right,  even  if  they  do 
smart.  And  I've  an  idea  that  if  I  can  stay  on  the 
grounds  it  will  be  better  for  the  freshmen." 

"That  scoundrel  hoped  to  cause  the  freshmen  to  lose 
the  games,  knowing  that  your  presence  on  the  field 
would  mean  half  the  battle." 

"I  guess  you're  pretty  near  the  mark." 

Then  Merriwell  emerged  with  Bart  from  the  room, 
to  be  greeted  with  a  shout  of  applause  and  approval. 

Browning  was  doing  all  that  he  could  to  inspire  the 
freshmen  contestants  with  confidence,  and  the  fresh- 
man class  was  whooping  things  up  by  constant  repeti- 


A  Cowardly  Deed.  209 

tions  of  their  class  yell,  but  Merriwell's  presence  was 
needed,  which  was  shown  by  the  immediate  increase  of 
confidence  as  soon  as  he  went  forward. 

"Oh,  if  I  just  had  two  sweethearts  to  put  courage 
into  my  tender  heart  by  the  flutter  of  their  snow-white 
kerchiefs!"  chirped  Jack  Ready,  as  he  saw  Inza  and 
Elsie  waving  their  handkerchiefs.  "A  half-dozen 
would  be  better,  but  just  two  would  do.  The  fresh- 
men have  three  mascots,  and  we  poor  sophomores 
haven't  a  single.  La!  la!  Excuse  these  few  tears." 

"There  ?    What  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  Greg  Carker. 

"Inza  and  Elsie,  and  that  black-eyed  beauty,  Rosa- 
lind Thornton.  She's  waving  her  handkerchief,  too, 
but  I'm  hanged  if  I  know  whether  she's  shooing  her 
wishes  over  to  Dick  Starbright  or  to  Dade  Morgan.  In 
some  respects,  she's  pretty  near  the  whole  thing. 
Many  a  man  would  leave  his  happy  home  for  her." 

Merriwell  stopped  with  Hodge  and  looked  over  the 
field. 

The  officials — timekeepers,  measurers,  judges,  ref- 
eree, starter,  and  others,  were  moving  here  and  there. 
A  number  of  the  contestants  were  warming  up  by 
racing  and  sprinting,  jumping,  hammer-throwing  and 
other  things.  People  were  calling  to  each  other,  men 
were  shouting,  the  band  was  playing,  and  the  crowd 
was  ever  swaying  and  shifting. 

As  Murphy  walked  across  to  Frank  for  a  short  talk, 
Merry  glanced  into  the  stand  where  Inza  and  Elsie 


210  A  Cowardly  Deed. 

were,  and,  seeing  the  encouraging  flutter  of  their  hand- 
kerchiefs, bowed  his  acknowledgment. 

Murphy's  first  inquiries  were  as  to  Frank's  face  and 
eyes.  He  could  see  that  Frank's  face  had  a  cooked 
appearance,  and  that  the  whites  of  his  eyes  were  still 
fiery  red. 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right,  thank  you.  But  one  of  my  bi- 
cyclists jammed  his  ankle  in  that  rush  to  the  woods, 
and  I  shall  have  to  put  in  another  man.  That  is  to  be 
regretted,  for  he  was  one  of  my  best  riders.  Next  to 
Bade  Morgan,  I  think  he  was  my  very  best  man." 

A  short  time  afterward,  with  all  the  preliminaries 
settled,  with  the  officials  ready  and  in  position,  and  the 
great,  buzzing  throng  in  anxious  expectation,  two 
young  fellows  in  athletic  suits  and  wearing  colors  to 
distinguish  sophomore  from  freshman,  stepped  into 
the  cinder  path. 

A  roar  of  applause  greeted  their  appearance,  accen- 
tuated by  the  sharp,  barking  cries  of  the  freshmen  and 
sophomore  rooters,  and  when  the  sprinters  lined  up  for 
the  loo-yards  dash  the  applause  became  deafening. 

The  starter,  in  position  behind  the  runners,  lifted 
his  pistol.  The  runners  were  crouching  with  tense 
legs  for  the  start. 

Bang! 

And  away  they  went  like  the  wind.  The  sport  had 
begun. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

DASHLEIGH    PROVES   A   HERO. 

The  ioo-yards  dash  was  quick  and  exciting.  The 
freshman  leaped  into  the  lead  at  the  start  and  held  his 
lead  for  a  short  distance,  but  was  passed  by  the  sopho- 
more as  they  drew  near  the  tape. 

Sophomore  and  freshmen  rooters  were  howling  like 
fiends  as  the  sprinters  crossed  the  line.  The  contests 
were  for  points,  and  this  was  the  judges'  announce- 
ment: 

"Curran,  sophomore,  first,  n  seconds;  Trimble, 
freshman,  second,  n  1-2  seconds — making  706 
points." 

"Wow!"  Ready  was  screeching.  "First  blood  for 
the  sophomores.  Oh,  we're  going  to  do  you,  Merri- 
well!  Hang  your  harp  on  the  weeping  willow." 

It  seemed  strange  to  see  Jack  Ready,  Frank's  faith- 
ful friend  and  adherent,  howling  against  the  side  in 
which  Frank  was  interested,  but  class  spirit  prevailed, 
as  it  always  does  in  such  cases.  Ready  was  not  less 
loyal  to  Merriwell,  but  as  a  sophomore  he  was  wildly 
anxious  for  the  sophomores  to  win. 

The  one-mile  run  was  the  next  event,  and  the  two 
men  who  came  out  to  contest  in  this  had  the  appear- 
ance of  being  speedy  and  long-winded  men. 

They  were  to  run  on  a  circular,   four-lap  track, 


212  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

which  was  in  the  best  condition.  The  sophomore  run- 
ner was  Tom  Byerly,  a  long-legged,  deep-chested  fel- 
low from  Massachusetts,  and  the  freshman  was  Dun- 
ham Tarbox,  from  Asheville,  North  Carolina. 

The  freshmen  were  confident  of  the  abilities  of  Tar- 
box  to  win  from  his  competitor,  for  Dunham  was  a 
great  runner,  and  he  had  been  carefully  coached  and 
trained  by  Merriwell. 

At  the  crack  of  the  starter's  pistol,  Tarbox  and 
Byerly  got  away  together,  with  the  band  playing  a 
lively  tune -to  lift  them  over  the  ground. 

Byerly  had  won  the  pole,  and  he  soon  took  the  lead 
of  his  freshman  competitor,  running  lithely  and  easily, 
with  head  and  chest  thrown  back.  Tarbox  did  not 
look  to  be  so  pretty  a  runner,  and  the  betting  men  on 
the  ground  who  had  placed  money  on  the  strength  of 
the  fact  that  Merriwell  had  trained  him  began  to  think 
that  they  had  lost. 

Byerly  increased  his  lead,  as  the  runners  neared  the 
end  of  the  quarter-mile  lap,  and  the  sophomores  stood 
up,  braying  out  their  snappy  class  yell. 

But  Frank  Merriwell  did  not  seem  to  be  in  the  least 
disturbed. 

"The  soph  is  walking  away  from  your  man," 
grunted  Browning. 

"He'll  not  walk  away  from  him  much  longer,"  was 
Frank's  answer. 

At  the  end  of  the  half-mile  the  freshman  had  re- 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  213 

gained  much  of  his  lost  distance  and  was  coming  up  on 
Byerly  in  handsome  style. 

"Byerly  has  been  pushing  himself  too  hard  in  the 
start,"  said  Merriwell.  "Murphy  warned  him  against 
that." 

But  Byerly  was  not  yet  beaten.  Though  passed  at 
the  three-quarter  lap,  he  regained  the  distance ;  and  the 
runners  approached  the  pole,  now  running  in  a  mighty 
struggle  for  the  mastery. 

The  spectators  were  yelling,  and  howling,  and  wa- 
ving hats,  caps,  and  handkerchiefs. 

"Come  in,  Tarbox!"  Bruce  megaphoned  through 
his  hands.  "Come  in!" 

Merriwell  was  smiling  and  still  confident.  Appar- 
ently he  had  forgotten  his  burned  face  and  smarting 
eyes. 

Byerly  was  winded.  He  had  done  his  best,  and, 
though  he  now  made  another  effort  to  regain  his  posi- 
tion, he  dropped  rapidly  behind,  and  Tarbox,  coming 
on  with  speed  like  a  steam-engine,  won  out  hand- 
somely. 

There  was  a  great  flourish  of  paper  and  pencil 
through  the  crowd,  as  the  judges  announced  the  re- 
sult: 

"Tarbox,  freshman,  first,  5  minutes,  23  seconds ;  By- 
erly, sophomore,  second,  5  minutes,  43  seconds. 

Then  how  the  freshmen  howled,  for  the  freshmen 
svere  now  in  the  lead ! 


214  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

The  i2O-yards  hurdle  followed. 

In  this  hurdle-race  Jack  Ready,  the  sophomore,  was 
pitted  against  Mason  Long,  who  was  also  thought  by 
the  freshmen  to  be  a  winner.  So  confident  were  the 
freshmen  that  they  fairly  howled  themselves  hoarse 
when  the  two  men  came  into  position  for  the  signal. 

"Howling  barred!"  chattered  Ready,  flinging  the 
words  at  the  screaming  freshmen.  "I'm  going  to  pluck 
this  cabbage  bouquet  to  ornament  my  own  boudoir. 
Close  your  faces  and  keep  your  eyes  on  me.  You'll 
miss  something  if  you  don't." 

Bang !  went  the  pistol,  and  the  hurdlers  were  away. 

Jack  Ready  was  as  good  as  his  word.  He  cleared 
the  hurdles  neatly  and  cleverly,  and  beat  out  his  com- 
petitor. 

It  was  the  turn  of  the  sophomores  to  howl,  and 
scream,  and  bark  out  their  class  cry. 

"Oh,  we're  way  ahead!"  yelled  a  sophomore,  who 
had  a  stop  watch  and  had  been  using  his  pencil  while 
the  judges  were  doing  their  figuring. 

He  was  right,  for  the  judges  announced: 

"Jack  Ready,  sophomore,  18  seconds;  Mason  Long, 
freshman,  18  1-2  seconds." 

A  running  high  jump  followed,  with  the  sophomores 
represented  by  Clifton  Hull,  and  the  freshmen  by 
George  Pendergast.  Again  the  freshmen  met  defeat, 
and  again  the  sophomores  howled  uproariously.  This 
was  the  announcement: 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  215 

"Clifton  Hull,  sophomore,  5  feet,  2  3-4  inches; 
George  Pendergast,  freshman,  5  feet,  21-4  inches." 

In  the  running  broad  jump,  which  was  the  next  on 
the  schedule  of  events,  Ralph  Bingham,  the  big  sopho- 
more, was  pitted  against  Dick  Starbright.  Both  had 
done  good  jumping  in  their  practise  work,  their  rec- 
ords being  nearly  together,  and  this  fact  quickened  the 
interests  of  the  classmen.  The  sophomores  hoped  and 
believed  that  Binfirham  would  put  them  still  farther 
ahead,  and  the  freshmen  were  wildly  confident  that 
Starbright  would  redeem  the  recent  defeats. 

Bingham  was  not  so  long  of  limb  as  Starbright, 
though  the  difference  was  not  great,  but  he  had  sur- 
prising activity  for  a  large  man. 

Bingham  jumped  first,  clearing  21  feet  4  inches. 
The  sophomores  proceeded  to  go  mad  with  excitement. 

"Oh,  you're  all  right,  Bingy,  old  boy!"  they  howled 
at  him. 

The  freshmen  sent  back  an  answering  howl,  for  they 
were  still  pinning  their  faith  to  Dick  Starbright. 

Starbright  went  farther  back  for  a  start.  He  got 
under  headway  slowly,  but  quickly  gathered  speed,  and 
when  he  came  to  the  scratch  he  was  fairly  flying.  He 
put  every  ounce  of  his  great  strength  into  that  jump; 
then  sailed  through  the  air. 

It  was  seen  that  he  had  beaten  Bingham,  though 
just  how  much  could  not  be  ascertained,  for  the  dis- 
tance did  not  seem  to  be  great. 


216  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

The  freshmen  began  to  sing: 

"Here's  a  health  to  Freshman  Dick!  drink  her  down,  drink 

her  down ! 
Here's   a  health  to   Freshman  Dick!  drink  her  down,   drink 

her  down ! 

Here's  a  health  to  Freshman  Dick,  he  is  lively  and  he's  quick, 
Oh,  he  makes  the  Sophies  sick !  drink  her  down,  down,  down !" 

The  song  stopped  and  the  freshmen  again  screeched 
their  joy,  when  they  heard  the  judge's  announcement: 

"Ralph  Bingham,  sophomore,  21  feet  4  inches;  Dick 
Starbright,  freshman,  22  feet  II  inches." 

Then  there  was  a  beautiful  pole-vaulting  contest  be- 
tween Tom  Conner,  representing  the  sophomores,  and 
Luke  Garland,  the  freshmen,  which  was  won  hand- 
somely by  Conner,  who  seemed  to  have  the  vaulting 
abilities  of  a  long-legged  monkey. 

The  spirits  of  the  freshmen  went  down  again,  when 
the  result  was  called  out.  The  highest  reached  in  the 
three  attempts  were  as  follows: 

"Conner,  sophomore,  n  feet  2  inches;  Garland, 
freshman,  10  feet  I  inch." 

The  freshmen  began  to  scream  for  Starbright. 
There  were  but  two  events  to  follow,  putting  the  shot 
and  throwing  the  hammer,  and  Starbright  was  in  both, 
pitted  against  Beckwith,  the  big  2OO-pound  guard  of 
the  football-team. 

It  was  a  handicap  to  force  Starbright  to  enter  an- 
other contest  so  soon  after  his  big  jump,  but  in  ma- 
king up  the  schedule  for  the  games  this  was  the  best 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  217 

that  Merriwell  could  do.  He  believed  that  he  could 
not  spare  Dick  from  the  broad  jump,  and  the  result 
had  shown  the  correctness  of  his  judgment,  for  any 
other  man  in  the  freshmen  list  would  have  fallen  short 
of  the  jump  of  the  big  sophomore,  Bingham.  Like- 
wise, in  the  shot-putting  and  hammer-throwing,  there 
was  no  freshman  who  seemed  able  to  compete  with 
Beckwith,  except  Starbright. 

"How  are  you  feeling,  Dick?"  Frank  asked,  as 
preparations  were  being  made  for  the  shot-put. 

Frank's  eyes  still  troubled  him  and  his  face  was  red 
and  inflamed,  but  he  was  pluckily  going  right  on  with 
his  work.  He  realized  more  than  any  one,  perhaps, 
that,  if  the  bomb-shooter  had  perfectly  succeeded  in  his 
purpose,  the  games  would  have  been  lost  to  the  fresh- 
men, for  without  his  presence  to  inspire  them,  they 
certainly  would  have  failed. 

"We're  depending  on  you  to  pull  us  out  of  the  hole," 
he  said,  speaking  to  Starbright. 

Starbright,  who  had  been  wrapped  in  a  heavy 
blanket,  cast  it  aside.  The  freshmen  rooters  became 
frantic  when  they  saw  him  do  this. 

"Starbright!  Starbright!"  they  howled 

The  great  crowd  was  buzzing  and  roaring. 

"I'll  do  the  best  I  can!"  was  Dick's  answer.  "I'll 
make  the  effort  of  my  life." 

"I  knew  I  could  depend  on  you  for  that,  Dick! 
Hear  the  fellows  howling  for  you !  It  puts  nerve  and 


218  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

heart  into  a  fellow  to  have  his  friends  shriek  at  him 
in  that  confident  way.  Of  course,  there  is  big  work 
cut  out  for  you.  But  I  know  that  you  can  do  it." 

Again  Dick  Starbright  felt  that  strange,  confident 
glow  which  had  first  come  to  him  as  he  sat  on  Merri- 
well's  knee  in  the  interval  of  the  bouts  of  the  big  wres- 
tling-battle between  freshmen  and  sophomore  on  the 
great  rush  night. 

"I  will  do  it!"  he  declared. 

"That's  the  talk.  That's  the  stuff!  When  a  man 
resolves  that  he  will  do  a  thing,  he  will  do  it,  if  the 
thing  is  at  all  possible.  That's  what  I  wanted  to  hear 
you  say!" 

He  took  Dick  by  the  hand,  and  an  electric  thrill 
seemed  to  pass  from  his  warm  hands. 

"If  I  but  had  your  grit  and  courage,  Merriwell! 
It's  a  winning  courage." 

"You  have  it,  all  right.  Perhaps  you  don't  fully 
realize  it  yet,  but  you  have  it.  You're  going  to  win 
these  games  for  the  freshmen,  and  I  know  it.  Now,  go 
in  and  do  it." 

Mike  Murphy,  cool  and  long-headed,  stood  talking 
to  Beckwith. 

Starbright  had  badly  worsted  Beckwith  in  the  sopho- 
more wrestling-match,  and  this  made  the  big  sopho- 
more almost  fiercely  anxious  to  beat  the  tall  freshman 
now.  He  was  listening  attentively  to  Murphy  and  nod- 
ding assent  to  what  was  being  said. 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  219 

The  freshmen  and  sophomore  rooters  were  rilling 
the  air  with  their  cries,  and  the  freshmen  now  began 
again  to  sing: 

"Here's  a  health  to  Freshman  Dick!   drink  her  down,  drink 
her  down!" 

It  had  been  agreed  that  in  the  two  events  to  fol- 
low but  a  single  throw  should  be  allowed  to  each  con- 
testant. 

As  Beckwith,  who  came  first,  stepped  into  position, 
the  sophomores  began  to  howl  an  improvised  song 
to  the  tune  of  "Marching  Through  Georgia." 

Beckwith  took  up  the  shot  with  an  air  of  confidence, 
lifted  it  on  his  right  hand,  and,  after  a  few  motions, 
hurled  it  with  all  his  might.  He  made  a  good  throw, 
and  the  sophomores  ceased  singing  to  howl  their  grati- 
fication. 

"It's  a  good  throw,  but  you  can  beat  it !"  Merriwell 
said  quietly  to  Starbright,  as  the  latter  went  forward. 

Dick  did  not  waste  time  in  preliminaries.  He  lifted 
the  shot,  poised  himself,  and,  without  seeming  effort, 
threw  it  with  all  the  power  of  his  wonderful  muscles. 
Merriwell  knew  Dick  had  won  from  Beckwith  as  soon 
as  he  saw  the  heavy  sphere  leave  his  hand.  The  fresh- 
men saw  it,  too,  before  the  shot  was  on  the  ground, 
and  were  screeching. 

"Beckwith,  sophomore,  42  feet;  Starbright,  fresh- 
man, 45  feet  I  inch." 


220  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

This  was  the  announcement  of  the  judges. 
with  had  won  distinction  in  hammer-throwing,  and 
the  sophomores  did  not  believe  that  in  this  Starbright 
could  defeat  him. 

Merriwell  again  talked  to  Dick,  as  the  freshman 
stood  in  his  blanket,  while  the  spectators  were  roaring 
ind  the  classmen  were  making  a  babel  of  noise. 

"You  can  win  it,  Dick." 

He  took  him  by  the  hand. 

"I  will  win  it!"  said  Starbright,  as  he  returned  the 
warm  pressure. 

"Now  I  know  that  you  can!" 

Starbright  went  forward  in  a  perfect  storm  of  en- 
couraging applause ;  and,  as  he  stepped  into  the  seven- 
foot  circle,  the  freshmen  who  were  not  already  on  their 
feet  rose  as  one  man  and  gave  him  an  ear-splitting 
cheer. 

He  clasped  the  hammer  handle  with  an  air  of  confi- 
dence, swung  the  heavy  hammer  round  his  head  three 
times,  then  let  it  go  over  his  shoulder. 

There  was  another  wild  cheer  from  the  excited 
freshmen.  They  believed  their  champion  had  won,  for 
it  was  clearly  to  be  seen  that  he  had  made  a  fine  throw. 

Murphy  was  coolly  talking  with  Beckwith;  who 
now  came  forward  to  duplicate  or  beat,  if  he  could, 
the  freshman's  attempt,  wildly  cheered  by  his  partisans. 
This  was  the  testing  cast,  the  throw  that  decided  who 
the  winner  of  the  inter-class  games  were  to  be.  Ex- 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  221 

pectation  was  at  fever  pitch.  All  over  the  grounds 
people  were  craning  their  necks  and  tiptoeing  to  see 
the  throw. 

Beckwith  was  cool  and  unshaken.  He  took  up  the 
hammer,  set  it  whirling  round  his  body  and  sent  it  out 
with  his  greatest  strength. 

For  a  moment,  as  the  heavy  hammer  hung  in  air, 
there  was  breathless  and  anxious  silence.  This  was 
followed  by  a  great  roar  from  the  freshmen.  The  an- 
nouncement was : 

"Beckwith,  sophomore,  134  feet;  Starbright,  fresh- 
man, 143  feet." 

Starbright,  the  giant  freshman,  had  come  near  tie- 
ing  the  score.  Again  the  jubliant  song  broke  out: 

"Here's  a  health  to  Freshman  Dick!  drink  her  down,  drink 

her  down ! 
Here's   a  health  to   Freshman  Dick!  drink  her  down,   drink 

her  down ! 

Here's  a  health  to  Freshman  Dick,  he  is  lively  and  he's  quick, 
Oh,  he  makes  the  sophies  sick!  drink  her  down,  down!" 

"We'll  have  to  haze  the  fellow  who  got  up  that  song, 
and  all  the  fellows  who  are  singing  it!"  a  disgusted 
sophomore  growled. 

It  was  a  big  contract,  for  the  whole  freshmen  class 
were  singing  it,  and  nearly  every  one  on  the  grounds 
seemed  to  give  a  yelling  push  to  the  chorus : 

"Balm   of    Gilead,    Gilead, 
Balm   of  Gilead,   Gilead, 
Balm  of  G-i-1-e-a-d ! 
Way  down  on  the  Bingo  farm!" 


222  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

Then  the  band  swung  in,  and  the  freshmen  rooters 
fairly  went  mad. 

Merriwell  was  getting  his  bicycle  riders  together 
for  the  last  and  greatest  event  of  the  day,  the  relay 
bicycle- race  of  five  miles. 

Frank  had  chosen  as  the  five  freshmen  for  the  race 
Winthrop,  Dashleigh,  Carver,  Brentwood,  and  Dade 
Morgan.  These  he  had  trained  and  coached  until  he 
was  reasonably  sure  they  had  more  than  a  fighting 
chance  to  win.  But  Dashleigh,  on  whom  he  had 
greatly  depended,  was  out  of  the  race  because  of  his 
injured  and  weakened  ankle,  and  Frank  was  forced  to 
substitute  Cyrus  Allison  who  was  a  fast  rider,  but 
not  as  good  as  Dashleigh,  whom  Frank  ranked  in 
ability  well  up  with  Dade  Morgan,  who  was  a  wizard 
on  a  wheel. 

Murphy's  sophomore  team,  picked  and  trained  by 
him  for  winners,  consisted  of  Greg  Carker,  Phil  Pur- 
rington,  James  Stonefield,  Jack  Ready,  and  Tom  Part- 
ridge. 

The  relay  race  was  to  be  on  the  circular  four-lap 
track  at  the  field.  Each  man  was  to  ride  a  mile  against 
one  of  the  opposing  team,  when  they  were  to  be  "picked 
up"  by  the  next  cyclists  in  order,  and  so  on,  until  the 
five-mile  race  was  finished. 

Dashleigh  sat  on  the  ground  near  the  track,  with 
his  wheel  at  his  side,  looking  disconsolate  and  troub- 
led. If  the  freshmen  should  lose  the  race,  he  felt  that 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  223 

he  would  have  to  hold  himself  largely  to  blame,  for 
in  the  dash  to  the  woods,  after  the  firing  of  that  shot, 
he  had  ridden  in  his  usual  heedless,  reckless  way,  and 
so  in  a  measure  had  brought  about  the  collision. 

Greg  Carker,  the  sophomore,  came  up  against  Win- 
throp,  the  freshman,  for  the  first  mile  of  the  great 
race. 

They  got  away  together,  amid  tremendous  cheering 
from  the  hoarse  throats  of  the  spectators. 

Winthrop  had  won  the  pole,  but  at  the  end  of  the 
first  lap  Carker  passed  him  and  went  on  the  inside, 
which  he  held  for  half  of  the  second  lap,  when  some- 
thing on  the  track  struck  his  tire  and  veered  his  wheel, 
almost  pitching  him  forward  on  his  head. 

But  in  the  third  lap  he  regained  what  he  had  lost, 
and  came  toward  the  end  of  his  mile  more  than  a 
hundred  yards  ahead  of  the  freshman,  riding  like  the 
wind. 

Then  came  the  exciting  pick-up,  for  these  two  riders 
were  now  to  drop  out,  to  be  succeeded  by  another 
sophomore  and  freshman,  who  were  to  go  right  on  with    * 
the  race. 

There  was  tremendous  cheering  as  Carker  and  Win- 
throp neared  the  end  of  their  mile,  with  Carker  ahead, 
and  Purrington  and  Allison,  who  were  to  pick  them 
up,  ready  for  their  work. 

Purrington,  the  sophomore,  picked  up  Carker  in  a 
little  while  and  left  him,  while  Allison  swung  in  after 


224  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

Winthrop,  also  picking  him  up,  and  then  racing  against 
Purrington. 

He  was  handicapped  by  Winthrop's  loss  of  a  hun- 
dred yards  or  more,  but  he  soon  showed  that  he  was 
a  crack  rider,  for  he  was  pushing  Purrington  before 
the  end  of  the  first  lap. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  lap,  the  two  riders  were 
racing  side  by  side,  bending  low  over  their  handle-bars, 
with  feet  spinning  like  pin-wheels. 

"If  Dashleigh  were  only  in  Allison's  place  he  could 
beat  Purrington  so  badly  that  the  sophomores  would 
feel  sick!"  was  Merriwell's  thought,  as  he  stood,  for- 
getful of  his  irritated  eyes,  intently  watching  the 
riders,  while  the  spectators  roared  and  cheered. 

Allison  lost  ground  in  the  third  lap  and  was  ten 
yards  behind  Purrington.  Then  he  began  to  spurt. 

"Oh,  he'll  win!"  the  freshmen  were  shouting. 

Starbright  was  anxiously  watching  him.  The  other 
riders,  Stonefield,  the  sophomore,  and  Carver,  the 
freshman,  were  ready  for  the  "pick-up." 

Allison  spurted  desperately,  and  regained  his  lost 
distance;  then  came  down  the  last  stretch  in  great 
style,  leaving  Purrington  behind  him  in  a  trail  of 
dust. 

As  the  new  sophomore  and  freshman  made  their 
"pick-ups,"  Merriwell  saw  to  it  that  Brentwood  was  in 
readiness  to  race  against  Jack  Ready  in  the  next  and 
fourth  mile. 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  225 

Frank  feared  Ready's  ability  and  was  longing  more 
and  more  for  Bert  Dashleigh. 

"If  only  you  could  go  into  this  thing,  I'm  sure  we 
could  win,"  he  said,  as  he  passed  Dashleigh.  "That 
accident  was  too  bad!" 

"But  we'll  win,  anyhow?"  anxiously. 

"We  must.  But  we  could  have  beat  them  hand- 
somely, I'm  sure,  with  you.  I'm  looking  now  for 
Dade  Morgan." 

But  Frank  could  not  find  Morgan.  He  continued 
his  search,  growing  anxious  as  the  riders  of  the  third 
mile  neared  the  end  of  the  fourth  lap. 

The  people  were  howling.  Stonefield,  the  sopho- 
more, was  in  the  lead,  and  rapidly  gaining  on  his  oppo- 
nent. He  was  almost  certain  to  beat  him.  Frank  saw 
that,  and  he  saw  Jack  Ready — the  ever  ready — pre- 
pared to  take  Stonefield's  place  and  continue  the  lead 
at  a  killing  pace. 

No  wonder  Merry  was  anxious,  for  Jack  could  ride 
a  wheel  almost  as  swiftly  as  Dade  Morgan. 

But  where  was  Morgan?  Frank  asked  himself  that 
question,  as  he  continued  to  look  for  the  missing  rider. 
It  seemed  hopeless  to  think  of  winning  the  relay  race 
without  Morgan. 

"If  the  fellow  has  played  me  false!" 

There  was  an  ominous  glitter  of  the  eye  and  a  stern 
compression  of  the  lips.  He  encountered  Hodge,  who 
also  seemed  to  be  looking  for  Dade. 


226  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

"Seen  anything  of  Morgan?"  Merry  asked. 

"I'm  looking  for  the  scoundrel!"  Hodge  growled. 
"I'm  afraid  he's  played  you  a  trick  and  left  you  in  the 
soup !  I  thought  I  had  my  eye  on  him,  but  I  was  so  in- 
terested in  the  riding  that  he  slipped  away  when  I  did 
not  see  him." 

"Do  you  think  he  has  slipped  away?" 

"Looks  so,  doesn't  it?  Talk  about  the  class  honor 
and  class  feeling  of  a  fellow  like  that!  Why,  he  has 
as  much  honor  of  any  kind  as  a  cur!" 

Stonefield  had  won  over  Carver,  and  Ready  was 
racing  away  against  Brentwood,  whom  Merriwell  was 
sure  he  would  beat.  It  looked  as  if  the  freshmen  were 
certain  to  be  defeated. 

Frank  had  from  the  first  expected  that  Ready  would 
beat  Brentwood,  but  he  had  prepared  to  offset  and  re- 
cover whatever  lead  Ready  might  gain  by  having  Dade 
Morgan  ride  the  final  mile,  which  he  intended  should 
be  the  winning  mile. 

That  ominous  smile  came  to  his  lips  as  he  continued 
his  search  for  Morgan. 

"Who  did  you  say  you  are  looking  for?"  a  fresh- 
man asked,  as  he  heard  Frank  making  inquiry. 

"Dade  Morgan.  It  is  his  turn  to  ride,  and  I  can't 
find  him." 

The  freshman  looked  surprised  and  distressed. 

"Say,  I  saw  Morgan  walking  off  in  that  direction 
just  a  while  ago.  There  was  a  man  with  him.  They 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  227 

were  talking  and  the  man  had  his  hand  on  Dade's 
shoulder.  Say,  I'll  find  him  for  you!  Gee!  if  we 
don't  have  Dade,  we're  done  up!" 

He  darted  away,  and  speaking  to  some  other  fresh- 
men, had  them  assist  in  the  hunt. 

The  fourth  mile  was  being  swiftly  ridden.  Two 
laps  of  it  were  done ;  Jack  Ready  was  ahead,  swinging 
round  the  third  lap  in  an  airy,  triumphant  way  that 
promised  to  leave  Brentwood  far  in  the  rear. 

The  sophomores  were  yelling  encouragingly  to 
Ready,  while  the  freshmen,  distressed  by  the  poor 
work  of  Brentwood,  began  to  call  for  Dade  Morgan. 
They,  too,  were  pinning  their  faith  to  that  final  mile 
to  be  ridden  by  Dade. 

The  freshman  and  his  assistants  were  not  able  to 
find  Morgan.  Neither  Bart  nor  Merriwell  could  find 
him.  He  had  strangely  disappeared. 

Bart  Hodge  was  furious  with  rage.  He  wanted  the 
freshmen  to  win  because  Merriwell  was  their  trainer, 
more  than  for  any  other  reason.  He  was  always  ready 
to  back  Merriwell  in  whatever  the  latter  chose  to  un- 
dertake, though  he  retained  the  high  privilege  of  kick- 
ing at  anything  and  everything  that  displeased  him. 

"The  villain  has  thrown  the  race  merely  to  spite 
Merriwell!  What  does  he  care  for  his  own  reputa- 
tion or  for  the  honor  of  his  class?  Nothing!  He'd 
knife  his  best  friend,  if  he  thought  he  could  gain  a 
point  by  it." 


228  Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero. 

Jack  Ready  was  coming  in  on  the  last  quarter  in 
handsome  style. 

"Oh,  for  a  rider  who  could  take  Morgan's  place!" 
was  Merry's  thought. 

The  excitement  of  the  spectators  and  students  was 
something  terrific,  and  so  was  the  noise.  Ready  was 
riding  like  a  wizard,  leaving  a  great  gap  between  him 
and  his  freshman  opponent. 

Merriwell  felt  a  tug  at  his  arm.  Turning  he  looked 
into  the  red  and  excited  face  of  Bert  Dashleigh. 

"I'm  going  into  the  race!"  said  Dashleigh,  with  a 
tremulous  voice,  shaking  with  excitement.  "I've  got 
to.  Morgan  isn't  here.  Everybody  is  beginning  to 
think  he  won't  come.  I  don't  know  why  he  isn't  here ; 
but  if  you'll  let  me,  I'll " 

"Let  you!     But  your  ankle?" 

Dashleigh  was  on  his  wheel,  and  supported  himself 
now  by  clinging  to  Frank's  shoulder. 

Down  the  final  stretch  Ready  was  coming,  the  sun- 
light of  victory  and  confidence  in  his  face.  He  had 
straightened  up,  for  he  knew  now  he  could  win  with  a 
handsome  margin,  and  he  seemed  to  be  looking  straight 
at  Merriwell. 

"If  you  think  you  can !  I  was  going  to  order  Pen- 
rose  into  the  race.  But  you  can  beat  Penrose  out  of 
sight,  if  you  can  ride!" 

"Ride!"  panted  Bert.  "I  will  ride!  If  you  say  I 
may  go  in,  I'll  ride  that  race  and  win  it  or  die!" 


Dashleigh  Proves  a  Hero.  229 

Merriwell  had  never  seen  such  a  look  on  Dashleigh's 
face.  There  was  unconquerable  resolution  and  iron 
determination  in  it.  Dashleigh  was  showing  that  he 
had  something  in  him  besides  a  love  of  music  and 
frivolity. 

"Go  in !    I  know  you  can  win !    Go  in !" 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A     BIT     OF     MYSTERY. 

Bert  Dashleigh  went  into  the  last  mile  of  the  great 
relay  bicycle-race  with  an  iron  determination  to  win. 
He  knew  that  he  could  ride.  Few  were  better  among 
amateurs.  He  forgot  the  ankle  that  had  been  paining 
him  a  short  time  before.  He  forgot  everything,  ex- 
cept the  fact  that  on  him  now  lay  the  responsibility  of 
winning  the  race  for  the  freshmen. 

Partridge,  the  sophomore,  against  whom  he  was  to 
ride,  picked  up  Jack  Ready,  who  had  crossed  the  tape 
with  a  whoop,  a  big  winner  over  Brentwood,  and 
Dashleigh  found  himself  far  behind  Partridge  at  the 
very  start. 

Partridge  was  a  cyclist,  too,  of  no  mean  skill.  He 
was  tall  and  slight  of  build,  of  light  weight,  but  with 
tremendous  leg-power  and  endurance. 

Dashleigh  knew  that  if  he  rode  a  winning  race  he 
had  hot  work  cut  out  for  him.  Frank  had  whispered 
encouragingly  to  him  as  the  start  was  made,  and  that 
whisper  seemed  to  lift  him  over  the  track  and  send  him 
on  as  if  winged. 

The  cycling  that  followed  was  worth  going  miles 
to  see.  Even  the  freshmen,  bewildered  at  seeing  Dash- 
leigh instead  of  Dade  Morgan  racing  Partridge,  soon 


A  Bit  of  Mystery.  231 

forgot  Morgan  and  their  wonder  about  his  absence  in 
watching  the  splendid  work  of  their  rider. 

Hodge  stood  at  Merriwell's  side,  hot  and  panting, 
thinking  of  Morgan,  with  fingers  that  ached  to  take 
Dade  by  the  throat. 

Bruce  was  also  at  Frank's  side  now.  Just  op- 
posite and  a  few  feet  away,  Jack  Ready  was  swing- 
ing his  cap  and  chirping  in  his  airy  manner,  begging 
Partridge  to  "walk  away  from  the  other  fellow." 

"You're  a  bird,  Partridge!"  he  shrilled.  "You've 
got  wings  on  your  heels!  Dashleigh  is  flying  too  low 
to  overtake  such  a  flyer  as  a  Partridge.  Lie  still,  my 
fluttering  heart — lie  still!" 

Others  began  to  howl  that  Partridge  was  a  "bird," 
delighted  with  the  splendid  work  the  sophomore  was 
doing. 

"I'm  afraid  your  freshmen  are  going  to  get  it  in  the 
neck,  Merriwell!"  Bruce  droned,  as  if  he  cared  not 
which  side  won,  though  he  was  intensely  eager  to  have 
the  freshmen  win. 

"It's  all  on  account  of  Dade  Morgan!"  Hodge 
snapped.  "I  knew  the  fellow  would  play  Merry  false." 

"Don't  steam  so,  Hodge!"  Frank  laughed. 

"How  can  I  help  it?" 

"You'll  choke,  if  you  don't  cool  off!" 

It  did  seem  that  Bart  was  on  the  point  of  choking 
or  exploding,  so  angry  was  he. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  lap,  Dashleigh  had  regained 


232  A  Bit  of  Mystery. 

some  of  the  distance  lost  to  the  freshmen  by  the  splen- 
did riding  of  Jack  Ready.  Before  the  close  of  the  sec- 
ond lap,  he  passed  Partridge. 

In  the  third  lap,  Partridge  spurted  at  tremendous 
speed,  and  as  the  flying  wheelmen  crossed  the  line  it 
seemed  that  Partridge  was  steadily  overhauling  his 
freshman  opponent.  Dashleigh's  lame  ankle  appeared 
to  be  giving  out. 

After  the  turn  into  the  fourth  lap,  Partridge  passed 
Dashleigh,  and  the  sophomores  rose  in  a  body  and 
howled. 

"Oh,  you're  a  bird!"  Ready  screeched,  in  a  way  to 
cause  Merriwell  to  smile  at  the  enthusiasm  of  his  old 
friend.  "You're  all  right!  Just  keep  it  up!  You're 
hitting  the  track  in  high  places.  What  a  lovely  time 
we're  having!" 

The  freshmen  were  howling  at  Dashleigh  to  "break" 
his  back. 

Merriwell  saw  Dashleigh  rouse  himself  for  a  new 
effort  as  he  was  passed  by  Partridge.  He  bent  lower 
over  the  handle-bars,  thrusting  out  his  head  as  if  to 
open  the  air  with  it. 

Both  were  going  at  high  speed,  their  feet  and  legs 
fairly  flying.  Dashleigh's  ankle  had  given  a  stab  of 
pain  as  he  neared  the  end  of  the  fourth  lap,  which 
caused  him  to  weaken  and  fall  behind,  but  he  forgot 
that  in  his  fierce  determination  to  win. 


A  Bit  of  Mystery.  233 

Never  had  he  ridden  as  he  now  rode — not  even  in 
his  greatest  efforts.  He  seemed  fairly  to  fly.  Near 
the  middle  of  the  lap  he  overtook  and  passed  Partridge, 
who  was  spurting  in  a  desperate  effort  to  hold  the  lead. 

Now  the  freshmen  rose  tip  to  whoop  and  howl. 
Down  toward  the  end  of  the  stretch  came  Dashleigh, 
racing  like  a  wizard.  Yard  by  yard  he  drew  away 
from  Partridge,  who,  with  all  his  spurting,  could  not 
again  get  near  the  flying  freshman. 

There  was  a  tremendous  uproar.  The  freshman  was 
steadily  gaining.  Lethargic  Browning  jumped  up  and 
down  in  his  excitement  like  a  young  schoolboy,  while 
Bart  Hodge  swung  his  cap  and  screamed. 

Yard  by  yard,  with  feet  spinning  like  pin-wheels, 
down  the  final  stretch  came  Bert  Dashleigh,  crossing 
the  line  a  splendid  winner,  amid  the  frantic  cheers  of 
the  freshmen — but  as  he  did  so  he  lurched  heavily  and 
pitched  headforemost  from  his  wheel  into  the  arms  of 
the  bystanders. 

Merriwell  saw  that  Dashleigh  had  fainted.  The 
plucky  fellow  had  ridden  and  won  the  last  lap  on 
pure  nerve,  with  his  ankle  stabbing  with  excruciating 
torture,  his  strength  seemingly  all  gone;  and  at  the 
finish  had  fainted  from  the  pain  and  the  tremendous 
strain. 

But  Bert  Dashleigh  had  ridden  a  splendid  race  and 
had  won  the  inter-class  games  for  the  freshmen. 


234  A  Bit  of  Mystery. 

The  tramp  who  had  been  found  in  the  woods  and 
been  held  in  a  dressing-room  for  examination  was 
gone! 

The  students  detailed  to  watch  him  had  become  so 
much  interested  in  the  athletic  contests  and  bicycle-race 
that  they  had  been  negligent  in  their  duty.  To  render 
his  escape  impossible,  as  they  thought,  they  had  tied 
him ;  but  the  ropes  were  found  cut,  and  the  tramp  had1 
escaped. 

"Was  he  a  tramp?"  asked  Bruce. 

"That's  what  I  hoped  to  discover!"  said  Frank. 

"Bade  Morgan  did  that !"  growled  Bart.  "He  is  at 
the  bottom  of  the  whole  thing.  Of  course  the  fellow; 
wasn't  a  tramp,  but  some  one  hired  by  Morgan  to  do 
up  Merry.  Morgan  released  him,  and  then  cut  out, 
to  throw  the  bicycle-race.  A  blind  man  could  see 
through  a  thing  as  plain  as  that!" 

Bart  and  Merriwell  took  an  electric  car,  and  not 
long  afterward  confronted  Dade  Morgan,  whom  they 
found  in  his  own  room. 

Morgan  was  flustered  and  excited.  His  face  was 
white  and  drawn,  as  if  he  were  suffering  pain.  Hodge 
accused  him  boldly  of  being  in  the  mischief  of  the 
afternoon,  of  having  released  the  supposed  tramp,  and 
of  having  left  the  field  for  the  purpose  of  throwing 
the  relay  race  to  spite  Merriwell. 

"Talk  about  honor,  Morgan!  You  haven't  any 
more  honor  than  a  thief!" 


A  Bit  of  Mystery.  235 

Morgan's  face  grew  even  whiter. .  He  appeared  to 
cower  under  Hodge's  lashing.  Merriwell  was  watch- 
ing him  closely. 

"I  admit  that  I  left  the  field,"  said  Dade,  speaking 
slowly  and  with  apparent  effort. 

"You  know  you  must  admit  that !"  Hodge  panted. 

"I  admit  that;  but  as  for  those  other  things,  I  am 
willing  to  swear  that  I  know  nothing  about  them — 
not  a  thing !" 

"Why  did  you  leave  the  field?"  Frank  asked  sternly. 
"Dashleigh  won  the  race  for  the  freshmen." 

Dade  seemed  to  brighten. 

"I'm  glad  he  did.  I'm  a  freshman,  Merriwell,  and 
I  assure  you  that  I  never  intended  to  do  anything  to 
throw  that  race." 

"Why  did  you  leave,  then  ?  You  were  seen  to  walk 
away  with  a  stranger !" 

"I  had  to  go  with  that  man,  Merriwell!  I  want 
you  to  believe  that,  for  it  is  true.  I  had  to  go  with 
him.  I  couldn't  help  it." 

"Why?"  sternly. 

"I  can't  tell  you  why." 

"You  mean  that  you  won't?" 

"I  mean  that  I  can't." 

"Let  me  get  at  him!"  begged  Hodge.  "Just  give 
me  a  minute  with  the  white-livered  whelp,  and 
I'll " 


236  A  Bit  of  Mystery. 

Frank  put  a  hand  restrainingly  on  Hodge's  arm. 
Morgan  gave  Hodge  a  defiant  look  of  hate. 

"That's  all  the  explanation  I  can  give,  Merriwell.  I 
simply  had  to  go  with  that  man." 

"And  that's  your  only  answer?" 

"It's  the  only  answer  I  can  give,  no  matter  what 
comes  of  it!" 

"Oh,  I  knew  he  wouldn't  tell  anything!"  Hodge 
snarled,  as  he  and  Merriwell  walked  away,  after  leav- 
ing the  room. 

"He  won't  tell  why  he  left  the  field,  but  I  believe 
that  he  doesn't  know  just  what  to  make  of  the  other 
things — the  shot  from  the  woods  and  the  escape  of  the 
tramp!  I  could  see  from  his  expression  that  he  was 
speaking  the  truth  about  those  things.  There's  a  mys- 
tery here,  Hodge,  and  I  shall  set  myself  to  work  to 
find  out  what  it  is." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   MAN   OF   MYSTERY. 

Dade  Morgan  sat  alone  in  his  room  that  evening, 
deep  in  thought.  The  mystery  that  was  puzzling  Frank 
Merriwell  was  puzzling  him,  too,  and  he  was  trying 
to  solve  it  for  his  own  satisfaction. 

Suddenly  he  made  a  nervous  spring  which  took  him 
almost  out  of  his  chair.  A  footstep  had  sounded  be- 
side him,  a  light,  almost  noiseless  footstep,  and  he  had 
fancied  himself  alone,  with  his  door  locked.  The 
sound  of  the  footstep  was  followed  by  an  almost  noise- 
less, mirthless  laugh. 

Turning,  Morgan  found  himself  face  to  face  with 
Hector  King. 

"You're  nervous!"  said  King,  slowly  doubling  his 
tall  form  into  a  deep  chair. 

"No  one  but  you  could  have  slipped  in  on  me  that 
way,"  declared  Morgan,  with  a  shiver  which  the  visitor 
did  not  fail  to  observe.  "I  had  that  door  locked  tight. 
Did  you  unlock  it?" 

"No;  I  came  in  through  the  keyhole." 

He  seemed  to  be  looking  into  Morgan's  very  soul 
with  his  deep,  dark  eyes. 

"Don't  look  at  me  that  way,  please." 

There  was  a  repetition  of  the  mirthless  laugh. 

"I  was  thinking  how  handsome  you  are." 


238  The  Man  of  Mystery. 

There  was  something  about  the  mysterious  man  be- 
fore him  that  strangely  drew  Bade  Morgan.  He  ad- 
mired the  man,  although  at  times  he  feared  him,  and  at 
other  times  he  almost  hated  him. 

"Why  don't  you  smile?"  the  man  asked.  "You're 
a  killingly  handsome  boy,  if  you  would  only  smile. 
You  must  smile !  Take  a  look  at  that  face.  It  shows 
that  you've  had  a  horrible  case  of  the  blues." 

Morgan  rose  from  his  chair,  walked  to  the  mirror, 
and,  standing  in  front  of  it,  coaxed  the  accustomed 
smile  back  to  his  attractive  features.  He  was  still 
pallid  when  he  turned  to  the  man,  and  the  smile  had 
something  mechanical  in  it.  It  was  not  a  warm  smile ; 
but  the  smile  was  there  when  he  again  faced  Hector 
King. 

"That's  better,  though  it  looks  a  trifle  as  if  you  had 
plastered  it  on  and  it  was  not  a  part  of  you.  You  must 
make  the  smile  a  part  of  yourself." 

"Why  don't  you  take  your  own  medicine?"  Dade 
blurted.  "That  mirthless  laugh  is  enough  to  make 
one's  flesh  creep." 

"That's  good!  You  really  look  better  sometimes 
when  you  say  right  out  what  you  think." 

"What  I'm  thinking  about  now  is  what  brought  you 
here?" 

"Not  pleased  to  see  me,  eh?" 

"Well,  I've  been  in  a  very  bad  temper  this  after- 
noon." 


The  Man  of  Mystery.  239 

The  man  calling  himself  Hector  King  continued 
to  look  at  Morgan  with  that  peculiar,  soul-reading 
glance. 

"I  didn't  like  what  you  did,  for  one  thing." 

"No?" 

"You  have  simply  queered  me  with  all  the  fresh- 
men and  all  the  students !"  Morgan  broke  out  in  a  pas- 
sionate way.  "Every  one  is  bound  to  think  that  I 
tried  to  throw  the  relay  bicycle-race  this  afternoon. 
Why  did  you  do  that?  Why  did  you  come  to  me  just 
before  it  was  my  time  to  ride  and  make  me  leave  the 
grounds  with  you?" 

"You  let  yourself  be  troubled  by  little  things." 

"It  wasn't  a  little  thing.  I  was  ready  to  ride  the 
final  mile  of  the  race,  I  had  trained  for  it,  I  knew; 
that  I  could  ride  that  mile  to  win,  and  I  knew  that  if 
I  did  it  would  lift  me  away  up  in  the  estimation  of 
the  freshmen  and  in  the  estimation  of  the  athletic  men 
of  Yale.  You  refused  to  let  me  ride  it.  You  made  me 
sneak  from  the  field  like  a  cur.  Every  one  will  know, 
if  they  do  not  already,  that  I  flunked  at  the  crucial 
moment,  and  that  if  Bert  Dashleigh  had  not  come 
forward,  though  his  hurt  ankle  was  fairly  killing  him, 
and  ridden  that  mile,  the  freshmen  would  have  lost 
the  race." 

Hector  King  did  not  move  a  muscle. 

"You  are  anxious  that  I  should  down  Merriwell," 
Morgan  went  on,  "yet  you  gave  Dashleigh  a  chance 


240  The  Man  of  Mystery. 

to  win  the  laurels  that  I  should  have  had,  and  at  the 
same  time  you  weaken  me  and  strengthen  the  hands 
of  Merriwell  and  his  friends." 

"I  had  my  reasons,  Dade." 

"Well,  what  were  they  ?  You  must  have  been  crazy ! 
It's  made  me  crazy,  anyway.  Merriwell  and  that 
scoundrel,  Bart  Hodge,  were  here  in  this  room  this 
afternoon,  after  the  race  was  over,  and  they  accused 
me  to  my  teeth  of  having  played  false.  And  what 
could  I  say?  Nothing,  except  that  it  was  not  my 
fault,  and  that  I  could  not  explain." 

"When  you  get  through  fuming,  we'll  talk !  I  want 
you  to  blow  off  steam  a  while,  if  it  makes  you  feel  bet- 
ter. A  fiery-tempered  fellow  must  have  a  safety- 
valve,  I  suppose." 

"And  you  released  the  tramp,  if  the  fellow  was 
a  tramp,  who  fired  the  bomb  at  Merriwell  from  the 
woods.  I  suppose  you  had  that  done,  too!" 

Hector  King  laughed  now  as  he  had  not  laughed 
before  that  night,  yet  there  was  no  mirth  in  it.  He 
simply  doubled  up  in  his  chair  and  shook,  silently. 

"So  I  fooled  you,  too,  did  I?" 

Dade  opened  his  eyes. 

"What  do  you  mean?     No,  you  didn't  fool  me. 
I  am  sure  that  you  released  that  tramp." 
"I  was  that  tramp!" 
"What!" 


The  Man  of  Mystery.  241 

Dade  Morgan  fairly  leaped  in  his  chair. 

"I  was  that  tramp  myself." 

"It  was  a  mighty  big  risk." 

"Oh,  was  it?    You  think  so,  but  I  don't" 

"Why,  if  they  had  dragged  you  to  jail,  or  if  they 
had  stripped  off  your  disguise?" 

"My  dear  boy,  the  smile  is  fading  from  your  face 
again!  You  are  beginning  to  let  worry  tell  on  you. 
Don't  worry!  That  was  something  that  never  could 
have  happened." 

"Why  couldn't  it?" 

"Because  I  would  not  have  permitted  it  to  happen." 

Almost  a  look  of  fear  came  into  Morgan's  dark 
face.  A  renewed  comprehension  of  the  deep  power  of 
the  man  before  him  weakened  and  almost  unnerved 
him. 

"You  understand !" 

"I  understand  that  you're  a  devil " 

"Hector  King,  if  you  please.  That  is  my  name,  you 
will  remember.  King,  without  the  Hector,  or  Hector, 
without  the  King,  just  as  you  please;  but  always  one 
or  the  other  or  both,  and  nothing  else." 

"I  forget  it  sometimes,  when  I  look  at  you,"  Mor- 
gan apologized. 

"Do  you  know  why  I  am  here?" 

Morgan  did  not  answer,  and  the  man,  staring  at 
him,  seemed  to  forget  the  question. 

When  King  spoke  again  his  voice  had  a  hollow,  far- 


242  The  Man  of  Mystery. 

away  sound,  and  in  volume  was  scarcely  above  a  whis- 
per. Yet  every  word  seemed  to  cut  into  Morgan's  heart 
as  if  hurled  through  a  trumpet. 

"Listen!  I  am  here  to  help  you  to  gratify  your 
hate  against  Frank  Merriwell  and  to  work  out  my  own 
plans  of  personal  revenge.  You  are  jealous  of  him, 
and  envious  of  him.  You  want  to  humiliate  and  dis- 
grace him,  and  bring  his  pride  to  the  dust." 

"And  strike  at  every  man  who  is  his  friend !"  Mor- 
gan fiercely  hissed. 

"Just  so!  You  shall  have  your  heart's  desire.  I 
am  standing  back  of  you.  Our  interests  are  mutual 
in  more  ways  than  one,  as  you  know." 

Morgan  remembered  only  too  well  how  this  man 
had  called  him  from  the  relay  race  that  day,  and  in- 
wardly fumed.  The  man  seemed  to  read  his  thoughts. 
1  "I  was  thrown  into  a  rage  to-day,  and  as  I  knew 
he  depended  more  on  you  than  on  any  one  else  to  win 
that  bicycle-race  for  him,  I  simply  took  you  from 
the  grounds." 

"And  let  Dashleigh  do  what  I  wanted  to  do!" 

"I  failed  to  count  on  the  grit  and  ability  of  that 
freshman." 

"What  are  your  other  plans?"  asked  Morgan 
quickly.  "I  want  to  get  them  started.  I  have  sworn 
to  down  Merriwell  and  the  fellows  that  train  with  him, 
particularly  these  fresh  freshmen  who  think  they  are 
so  much  better  than  I  am.  You  have  other  plans  ?" 


The  Man  of  Mystery.  243 

A  great  rage  burned  in  his  heart — a  rage  that  made 
him  as  vicious  as  a  rat  in  a  corner. 

"First  I  want  to  know  how  it  came  about  that  Ro- 
land Packard  failed  to  carry  out  what  he  promised  to 
'do  in  the  football-game  against  Columbia  ?  I  felt  sure 
,we  could  depend  on  Packard !" 

"Merriwell  prevented  it!" 

"You  mean  by  that,  that  Merriwell  himself  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  failure  of  Packard  to  carry  out  his 
promise." 

"Just  so.  You  fixed  Oliver,  Roland's  goody-goody 
brother,  who  was  on  the  team  as  quarter-back,  and 
thought  you  had  sent  Roland  in  his  place,  and  that 
Roland  would  find  a  chance  to  finish  Merriwell  in  one 
of  the  football  rushes." 

"I  thought  he  had  done  it — thought  he  had  broken 
the  rascal's  neck,  as  he  said  he  would  do,  when  he  fell 
on  Merriwell  that  way  in  the  game." 

Dade  Morgan's  smile  grew  more  pronounced. 

"I  observe,  Hector  King,  that  you  can't  see  through 
everything.  It  was  not  Roland  Packard  who  fell  on 
Merriwell  in  that  way  with  the  intention  of  snapping 
his  neck,  but  it  was  Oliver,  who  did  it  through  an  ac- 
cident." 

"But  he  was  left  here  in  Yale  in  his  room  in  a  hyp- 
notic sleep,  and  that  game  was  played  in  New  York!" 

"You  thought  so." 

"I  know  so." 


244  The  Man  of  Mystery. 

"You  know  that  you  put  him  to  sleep.  But  you ' 
don't  know  that  Merriwell  chanced  to  run  up  to  their 
rooms  for  the  purpose  of  borrowing  a  nose  guard; 
that  he  found  Oliver  there  asleep  and  Roland  getting 
into  Oliver's  football  clothing ;  and  that  he  tied  up  Ro- 
land and  left  him  in  the  room,  and  awakened  Oliver 
and  sent  him  on  to  New  York  with  the  team  to  play 
in  the  game." 

A  deep  curse  came  from  the  lips  of  Hector  King. 

"And  now  what?" 

"It  simply  makes  me  more  determined  than  ever  to 
assist  you  in  bringing  Frank  Merriwell  to  the  ground." 

Morgan's  smile  deepened  into  satisfaction. 

"Forgive  me  if  I  was  ready  to  rebel  a  while  ago — 
Hector  King;  but  I'm  with  you,  body  and  mind,  in 
whatever  you  want  to  undertake.  It  cut  me  deep  when 
you  made  me  leave  the  field,  for  I  like  to  win  races  and 
cover  myself  with  glory  and  have  my  class  think  well 
of  me,  just  as  every  other  freshman  does.  But  I'm 
more  anxious  to  do  up  Merriwell  and  his  friends.  Give 
your  orders,  and  I  shall  do  my  best  to  carry  them 
out." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

A   PAIR   OF   PLOTTERS. 

"Star-bright!" 

The  mysterious  man  calling  himself  Hector  King 
had  spoken  the  name,  whispering  it  in  his  hollow  way. 

"You  aren't  getting  along  very  well  in  your  plans 
against  Starbright?" 

Morgan  rose  and  stood  before  the  mirror,  carefully 
arranging  his  tie  and  practising  the  smile  he  had  as- 
sumed. 

"I  can't  get  him!"  he  confessed,  with  a  smile  so 
sweet  that  it  would  have  deceived  Starbright  himself. 

"I  want  to  help  you  in  your  efforts  against  him." 

"Yes,  goon!" 

"I  have  taken  the  trouble  to  look  into  his  history 
a  bit." 

Dade  opened  his  ears  eagerly. 

"Anything  black  against  him?  Anything  that's 
dead  sure,  with  which  I  can  strike  him?" 

"No,  his  personal  record  is  straight.  If  he  hadn't 
more  than  once  confessed  his  liking  for  liquor  I 
shouldn't  know  even  that  against  him.  Take  a  pointer 
from  that,  Dade!  Never  blab  about  your  personal 
weaknesses  and  so  put  a  club  into  the  hand  of  your 
enemy." 

"He   doesn't   seem   very   weak   there.      He's   had 


246  A  Pair  of  Plotters. 

enough  temptations  to  down  any  fellow.  For  my  part, 
I  don't  think  he  is  so  weak  along  that  line  as  you  say." 

"Let  me  tell  you  something." 

The  man  in  black  fixed  on  Morgan  those  terrible 
eyes. 

"His  father  and  his  grandfather  and  two  uncles 
died  of  drink.  Old  Bob  Starbright,  the  sea  captain, 
Dick's  father,  went  out  to  China  to  bring  back  a  ship. 
The  captain  and  the  crew  had  died  of  fever,  and  old 
Captain  Bob,  being  trusted  by  the  ship's  owners,  went 
out  to  bring  the  vessel  home.  He  failed  to  bring  it, 
but  brought  back  a  report  that  the  ship  had  been 
burned  or  destroyed  by  Chinese  pirates,  or  something 
of  that  kind;  as  well  as  having  in  his  own  possession 
all  that  the  ship  and  the  cargo  were  worth." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"I  mean  that  the  story  of  the  ship's  destruction  was 
a  lie  out  of  whole  cloth,  manufactured  by  Captain  Bob 
Starbright,  father  of  your  freshman,  Dick  Starbright. 
He  sold  the  ship  and  cargo,  or  disposed  of  them  in 
some  way,  and  brought  the  money  received  home  with 
him.  The  cargo  was  of  great  value,  and  the  ship  was 
worth  a  pretty  figure,  and  from  that  time  on  Bob  Star- 
bright  simply  rolled  in  wealth;  and  on  that  wealth,  or 
some  of  it,  this  freshman  is  now  going  through  Yale." 

Dade  Morgan  tried  vainly  to  keep  the  smile  on  his 
face,  but  it  was  fading  away. 

"And  this  means " 


A  Pair  of  Plotters.  247 

"It  means  that  the  time  is  coming  when  it  will  be 
an  easy  matter  for  you  to  ruin  Dick  Starbright.  I  shall 
go  to  the  bottom  of  this  thing.  The  heirs  of  the  men 
who  owned  the  ship  and  cargo  are  living.  A  few  facts 
placed  in  their  hands  would  mean  that  this  wealth,  this 
stolen  wealth,  for  that  is  what  it  is,  could  be  taken 
from  Dick  Starbright,  and  he  would  be  a  pauper !" 

Hector  King  looked  more  than  ever  like  a  fiend,  as 
he  crouched  in  the  depths  of  the  big  chair,  telling  this 
story  and  staring  at  Dade  Morgan  with  eyes  which 
seemed  to  hold  the  fires  of  the  infernal  regions.  He 
roused  himself  with  an  effort. 

"You  are  too  good  a  hater,  Morgan!" 

Morgan  was  staring  and  breathing  heavily  through 
tightly-closed  teeth. 

"For  the  present,  Dade " 

Morgan  roused  himself. 

"For  the  present  you  may  strike  straight  at  Dick 
Starbright  himself,  if  you  wish,  and  straight  at  Frank 
Merriwell.  You're  doing  well,  and  I'll  help  you.  You 
must  get  Starbright  to  drinking." 

"But  I  can't." 

"You  think  so?" 

"I  know  it.    I've  tried." 

"Yale  is  to  play  the  Carlisle  Indians  here  at  New 
Haven  next  Wednesday.  Starbright  is  one  of  Merri- 
well's  particular  friends,  as  well  as  one  of  his  crack 
football  men." 


248  A  Pair  of  Plotters, 

The  smile  faded  from  Morgan's  face. 

"Why,  what's  the  matter?"  King  asked. 

"You  want  me  to  do  something  desperate?  To 
crack  Starbright's  neck,  or  Merriwell's?" 

"I  was  speaking  of  drink,  wasn't  I  ?  But  the  chances 
to  play  some  desperate  game  at  that  time  will  be  great. 
Those  Indians  fight  like  wild  men.  It  would  not  be 
strange  if  Merriwell's  neck,  or  Starbright's,  should  be 
broken." 

"I  don't  want  to  try  that !"  Morgan  begged.  "That's 
too  desperate  for  me!" 

"I  only  suggested  getting  Starbright  to  drink." 

"And  I  told  you  that  I  have  tried  and  failed." 

"But  it  can  be  done." 

"How?" 

Hector  King  felt  in  a  pocket  of  his  black  coat. 

"I've  other  plans  to  help  you  for  that  ball-game  with 
the  Indians,  but  this  is  one.  How  I  shall  work  the 
other  plans  doesn't  matter  just  now.  I've  more  than 
once  formed  a  plan  and  then  changed  it  when  my  fin- 
gers fell  on  something  better.  I  may  do  so  again." 

He  drew  from  his  pocket  a  package  containing  a 
powder,  and  displayed  it. 

"There  is  to  be  a  banquet  at  the  Majestic  Saturday 
night?" 

"Yes." 

"Bribe  one  of  the  colored  servants  to  drop  this  into 
something  Starbright  is  to  drink.  He  won't  touch 


A  Pair  of  Plotters.  249 

wine  or  spirits,  you  say,  so  it  will  have  to  be  put  into 
something  else." 

"But  it  would  be  dangerous  for  me  to  approach  one 
of  the  servants!" 

Hector  King  laughed  disdainfully. 

"You  show  the  white  feather !  Well,  I  will  arrange 
it,  then.  I'll  send  one  of  the  servants  a  telegram  call- 
ing him  out  of  town,  and  I'll  have  a  man  ready  to  sup- 
ply his  place  who  has  the  nerve  and  the  willingness  to 
do  the  work.  I  know  just  where  to  put  my  finger  on 
such  a  man.  After  all,  perhaps  it  will  be  as  well  for 
me  to  work  this  little  game  alone." 

He  put  the  powder  back  into  his  pocket. 

"That  drug  will  make  the  fellow  insane  for  liquor. 
After  he  gets  that  into  him,  he  will  feel  that  he  must 
have  liquor  or  die,  and  he'll  get  it.  He'll  disgrace  him- 
self here  at  Yale  and  lose  his  reputation  and  influence, 
and  be  unable  to  play  against  Carlisle.  That  will  stab 
Merriwell,  for  Merriwell  has  been  warming  to  this 
freshman  in  a  strange  way.  One  way  to  strike  Merri- 
well is  through  his  friends." 

"I  wish  you'd  strike  Bart  Hodge,  then !" 

"Poof!  He  isn't  worth  the  trouble.  He's  just  a 
bully  and  a  braggart." 

"I  should  like  to  poison  him!"  Morgan  gasped. 

"Perhaps  you  may,  some  time,  if  you're  obedient 
along  the  lines  I  suggest." 

"If  Starbright  could  be  ruined  through  drink  and 


250  A  Pair  of  Plotters. 

some  plan  could  be  found  to  down  Bart  Hodge,  it 
would  be  almost  as  good  as  drowning  Merriwell  him- 
self!"  Morgan  murmured. 

"Don't  let  your  hatred  master  you,  Dade." 

"I  can  hate  like  a  fiend  from  the  lower  pits !"  Dade 
declared,  remembering  himself  and  trying  to  coax  the 
smile  back  to  his  face. 

"I  like  you,  Dade!  You're  a  man  after  my  own 
heart." 

"You're  a  devil!"  laughed  Morgan. 

"Thank  you  for  the  compliment !" 

"Go  on  with  your  plans.  No  one  can  hear  us  in 
here." 

"Oh,  I  made  sure  of  that  before  I  came  in!  But 
I  prefer  to  modulate  my  musical  voice;  for  it  is  said, 
you  know,  that  even  walls  have  ears." 

He  settled  back  in  the  chair — he  had  been  leaning 
forward  in  his  eagerness — and  again  his  black,  deep 
eyes  seemed  to  search  Morgan's  very  heart. 

"I  hoped  we  could  use  Roland  Packard  again,  and 
perhaps  we  can,  but  that  experience  in  the  football- 
game  against  Columbia  makes  me  shy  of  him.  We'll 
see!  The  first  thing,  however,  is  to  help  you  in  your 
plans  to  strike  Starbright.  But  I  didn't  come  to-night 
especially  to  discuss  plans,  but  more  to  see  you,  for  I 
knew  you'd  feel  rocky  about  being  taken  from  the 
athletic-field.  You  were  displeased  with  that.  You 


A  Pair  of  Plotters.  251 

know,  though,  that  I  want  to  help  you  in  your  personal 
revenges!" 

"Let  it  go,"  said  Morgan.  "I  will  pull  back  my  in- 
fluence some  way.  I  can  claim  that  I  was  called  away 
by  an  imperative  telegraphic  message,  which  I  showed 
to  Merriwell,  and  that  he  gave  his  consent  for  me  to 
leave  the  field;  that  he  then  put  up  a  game  to  injure 
me  by  pretending  that  I  had  sneaked  away  without  let- 
ting him  know  or  giving  him  time  to  get  a  substitute 
rider.  I'll  fix  that  up,  somehow.  Trust  me!" 

"I'm  trusting  you.  I've  always  trusted  you.  Yet 
you  know  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  trust  you." 

Morgan  seemed  to  shrink  within  himself. 

"It's  all  right,  King !  You  may  trust  me.  Help  me 
to  down  Dick  Starbright,  and  I  shall  be  happy." 

"I'll  not  forget  it" 

The  mysterious  man  rose  to  go,  making  no  more 
noise  than  a  cat  slipping  through  a  garret.  He  stepped 
to  the  door,  softly  fitted  a  skeleton  key  to  the  lock,  and 
was  gone. 

Morgan  roused  himself  with  an  effort  and  looked 
toward  the  door. 

"What  awful  power  that  man  has!  It  makes  me 
shudder  to  think  of  it.  And  partly  for  my  sake  he  is 
directing  it  against  Frank  Merriwell.  Well,  I'd  rather 
ten  thousand  times  have  him  as  my  friend  than  as 
foe!" 


CHAPTER  XXVL 

DICK    STARBRIGHT   FALLS. 

"I  can't  get  enough  of  the  stuff !" 

It  was  late  Saturday  night,  or,  rather,  early  Sunday 
morning.  Dick  Starbright  sat  at  one  of  the  little 
tables  in  the  back  apartment  of  the  rooms  of  Rupert 
Chickering.  His  eyes  were  very  bright  and  his  face 
feverishly  red.  There  was  a  bottle  of  liquor  on  the 
table  before  him,  and  with  unsteady  hand  he  was  half- 
filling  a  glass. 

Hector  King's  drug  had  done  its  work.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Chickering  set,  with  some  of  their  espe- 
cial friends,  filled  the  apartments.  Donald  Pike  was 
there,  and  also  Roland  Packard  and  Bertrand  Defarge. 

Roland  had  piloted  Dick  to  these  rooms  an  hour 
or  more  before,  bringing  him  there  almost  direct  from 
the  Majestic.  And  Roland  was  now  chuckling  over 
the  success  of  the  plan,  which  he  fancied  was  of  Dade 
Morgan's  own  manufacture.  It  had  been  a  glorious 
plan,  according  to  his  way  of  thinking,  and  it  had 
worked  beautifully.  The  drug,  and  the  liquor  which 
Dick  had  swallowed  soon  after  taking  it,  had  so  con- 
fused Starbright's  mind  that  when  he  suffered  himself 
to  be  led  away  by  Roland  Packard,  he  supposed  that 
Roland  was  Oliver,  for  whom  he  had  the  highest  re- 
gard, and  he  was  not  even  yet  undeceived. 


Dick  Starbright  Falls.  253 

"That's  right,"  said  Roland,  also  turning  a  quantity 
of  the  liquor  into  a  glass.  "Here's  to  your  good  health 
and  to  the  downfall  of  Frank  Merriwell!" 

Starbright  turned  on  him  with  a  disapproving  look. 

"Merriwell's  my  friend !"  he  bluntly  declared.  "Un- 
derstand that !  Merriwell's  my  friend." 

Roland  saw  that  he  could  not  venture  too  far. 

"Why,  what  did  I  say?" 

"Something  'gainst  Merriwell!" 

"Well,  I  didn't  mean  it.  I  was  just  joking.  Drink 
your  whisky.  It's  good  for  you." 

Roland  showed  that  he  did  not  doubt  this,  by  pre- 
tending to  gulp  down  the  whisky  he  had  turned  into 
his  own  glass,  and  Starbright  followed  by  swallowing 
his.  Lew  Veazie,  Ollie  Lord,  Tilton  Hull,  and  Julian 
Ives  looked  at  Starbright  in  amazement  and  admira- 
tion. 

"Did  you  ever  thee  the  like?"  Veazie  whispered. 
"Why,  the  fellow  dwinkth  down  the  thtuff  jutht  ath  if 
it  wath  water!  If  I  thould  dwink  ath  much  wine  ath 
he  hath  dwunk  whithkey  I'd  be  tho  dwunk,  don't  you 
know,  that  I  wouldn't  know  mythelf  from  the  man  in 
the  moon !" 

"His  head  is  as  hard  as  iron !"  growled  Gene  Skeld- 
ing. 

Indeed,  though  Dick  Starbright  had  been  swallow- 
ing fiery  liquor  at  a  terrible  rate  since  taking  the  drug, 
secretly  administered  by  the  servant  substituted  for 


254  Dick  Starbright  Falls. 

the  regular  hotel  servant,  it  seemed  to  have  small  ef- 
fect, for  the  amount  swallowed.  Though  Starbright's 
eyes  were  very  bright,  glistening  bright,  in  fact,  and 
his  hands  and  face  were  as  hot  as  fire,  he  had  not  lost 
his  head  entirely. 

"I'll  thuggetht  thome  wine  to  him,"  said  Veazie. 
"Mixed  dwinkth,  you  know,  are  the  kind  that  doeth 
the  work.  I  heard  a  fellow  thay  that  mixed  dwinkth 
\vould  thet  a  fellow  up  when  nothing  elthe  would." 

He  teetered  up  to  Dick  Starbright,  having  in  one 
hand  a  wine-bottle  and  in  the  other  a  tiny  glass. 

"Thereth  nothing  quite  tho  good,  don't  you  know, 
ath  weal  wine  to  make  a  fellow  feel  lovely.  If  you'll 
twy  a  little  of  thith  wine!" 

Starbright  looked  at  him  savagely  with  those  shining 
eyes;  then  with  a  sweep  of  his  brawny  arm,  he  laid 
iVeazie  and  the  bottle  and  glass  in  a  crashing  mass, 
smashing  the  bottle,  which  poured  its  ruby  contents  out 
on  the  gorgeous  rug  which  covered  the  center  of  the 
floor. 

Veazie  gasped  and  flounced  like  a  fish,  and  when 
he  rose,  with  white  cheeks  and  shaking  limbs,  it  was 
seen  that  a  quantity  of  the  wine  had  found  its  way  onto 
his  face  and  over  his  spotless  shirt  front. 

Tilton  Hull  and  the  others  in  the  room  were  gasp- 
ing and  quaking. 

"Gwathiouth !"    Veazie    sputtered.      "Gwathiouth ! 


Dick  Starbright  Falls.  255 

Did  you  ever  thee  anybody  tho  wude?  Why,  hetH 
a  weal  wude  cweature!" 

"Did  you  speak  to  me?"  asked  Starbright,  fixing 
on  him  those  shining  eyes,  which  seemed  to  dart  a 
fiery  red  glow  into  the  shivering  little  man. 

"No;  that  ith,  I  didn't  thay  anything  dithrethpect- 
ful!" 

"Take  care  that  you  don't,  then !  Perhaps  you  think 
I'm  drunk?" 

"Of  course  he  isn't  drunk,"  whispered  Skelding, 
with  a  wink,  for  Skelding  was  not  averse  to  having 
Veazie  humbled  in  this  way;  "but  he  will  be  drunk, 
if  he  keeps  on  swilling  down  that  whisky." 

"Of  course  you  aren't  drunk,"  said  Rupert  dicker- 
ing. "That  is  the  best  liquor  obtainable  in  New  Haven. 
You  might  drink  a  gallon  of  it,  and  it  wouldn't  affect 
you." 

"Sure!"  agreed  Roland  Packard.  "Try  some  more 
of  it!" 

"Frank  Merriwell's  my  friend!"  Starbright  sav- 
agely declared,  jamming  his  fist  heavily  against  the 
table.  "Understand?" 

He  glowered  at  Roland,  for  the  latter's  toast  still 
stuck  in  his  memory. 

"Merriwell's  my  friend,  and  I  can  lick  any  man 
that's  got  anything  to  say  'gainst  him!" 

He  brought  his  fist  down  again  with  such  force  that 
the  table  danced. 


256  Dick  Starbright  Falls. 

The  palpitating  members  of  the  Chickering  set  be- 
gan to  feel  like  the  man  who  captured  the  bear  and 
wished  that  he  hadn't.  They  had  captured  the  bear, 
and  it  began  to  seem  that  they  would  soon  be  begging 
for  some  one  to  come  and  lead  his  bearship  away. 

"Of  course  you  say  that  because  he  put  you  on  the 
football-team,"  suggested  Defarge. 

"No  such  thing !  He  put  other  fellers  on  the  team. 
He  put  you  there !" 

"Sure!"  agreed  Packard,  in  a  conciliatory  tone. 

"And  he  put  Packard  there !" 

He  still  thought  the  man  before  him  was  Oliver. 
Packard  nodded  assent,  for  he  knew  not  what  else 
to  do. 

"And  he  put  Bade  Morgan  there!"  Dick  asserted, 
again  jamming  his  fist  down  on  the  table.  "Dade  Mor- 
gan hates  him,  but  he  put  him  there  all  same.  Mer- 
riwell's  square  man!" 

"Square  as  a  brick!"  agreed  the  conciliatory  Pack- 
ard. 

"Square's  a  house!"  Dick  cried,  again  jamming 
down  his  fist. 

"Come  houses  aren't  square,  you  know!"  chirped 
Ollie  Lord,  tiptoeing  in  his  high-heeled  shoes  and  feel- 
ing that  he  had  said  something  very  brilliant. 

"Merr'well's  all  right  an'  Yale's  goin'  tc  get  the 
scalp  of  the  C'lisle  Indians,  too,  you  bet!" 


Dick  Starbright  Falls.  257 

With  shaky  hand,  Starbright  began  to  pour  out  an- 
other glass  of  the  fiery  stuff,  urged  on  by  Packard. 

"But  you  must  agree  that  Merriwell  is  unfair  in  his 
methods,"  Defarge  went  on,  not  learning  caution  by. 
his  previous  experience. 

"Merriwell's  fair  man !" 

"Fair  to  you,  of  course,  and  to  his  friends.  He 
kicked  a  goal  from  your  touch-down  and  from  Bart 
Hodge's,  but  he  failed  to  kick  a  goal  from  Dade  Mor- 
gan's touch-down.  He  could  have  done  that  as  easily 
as  from  the  other  touch-downs.  He  simply  didn't 
want  to,  because  he  doesn't  like  Morgan." 

" 'S  lie!"  Dick  declared,  jamming  the  table  again 
with  his  fist  and  facing  Defarge  with  those  shining 
eyes.  "  'S  lie,  and  I  can  whip  the  man  says  it!" 

Defarge  whitened  to  the  lips. 

"No  quarreling!"  Rupert  Chickering  gasped.  "No 
quarreling  in  these  rooms." 

Roland  Packard  winked  at  Defarge,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "Hold  yourself  in  a  while,  old  man ;  we'll  get  him 
by  and  by!" 

Then  he  urged  Starbright  to  take  another  drink. 
But  Starbright  seemed  to  be  in  no  hurry  this  time.  He 
pushed  back  the  bottle  which  Roland  lifted  and  faced 
again  toward  Defarge,  half -rising  from  the  table. 

"I'm  going  to  whip  Dade  Morgan  soon's  I  meet 
him!  And  I  can  whip  any  man  that's  friend  of  his! 
See?" 


258  Dick  Starbright  Falls. 

Dade  Morgan  had  been  wise  enough  to  remain  away 
from  this  gathering  in  the  rooms  of  Rupert  Chicker- 
ing,  though  he  was  at  that  moment  fairly  hugging 
himself  because  he  believed  that  Dick  Starbright  had 
at  last  fallen. 

Roland  again  winked  at  Defarge  to  hold  himself  in, 
and  the  French  youth  succeeded  in  doing  so,  though 
his  cheeks  remained  as  white  as  ashes  and  his  limbs 
shook. 

Seeing  that  Defarge  intended  to  make  no  reply  to 
his  virtual  challenge,  Starbright  sank  back  into  his 
seat,  and,  under  the  persuasions  of  Roland,  allowed 
his  glass  to  be  again  filled. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A     FRIEND     IN     NEED. 

Frank  Merriwell  and  Bart  Hodge,  seated  in  Merri- 
well's  rooms  in  Vanderbilt  Hall,  were  talking ;  Hodge, 
as  usual,  raging  against  Dade  Morgan. 

"I  haven't  seen  Starbright  all  day!"  said  Frank. 
"He  wasn't  at  chapel  this  morning,  and  I  haven't  seen 
him  anywhere  about  the  campus." 

"Oh,  it's  Sunday,  you  know,  and  probably  he's  gone 
away  somewhere  on  a  trip !  He'll  be  back  in  the  morn- 
ing. I  saw  Dashleigh." 

"Yes,  and  he  was  wandering  round  as  if  he  had  lost 
something.  To  tell  the  truth,  some  way,  I  feel  uneasy 
about  Starbright." 

But  Hodge  did  not  want  to  talk  of  Starbright  that 
Sunday  evening — he  wanted  to  talk  of  Dade  Morgan. 

"The  freshmen  had  a  great  old  supper  at  the  Ma- 
jestic last  night,  and  I'm  told  that  Dade  Morgan  was 
the  biggest  man  there.  He  airily  swelled  it  over  the 
other  freshmen.  It's  a  singular  thing,  the  influence 
that  fellow  has.  I  should  think  they  would  throw  him 
over  for  leaving  you  in  the  soup  in  that  way  at  the 
relay  race." 

"Yes,  Morgan  has  wonderful  influence  over  the 
freshmen,"  Frank  thoughtfully  admitted.  "He's  a 
wonderful  fellow,  to  tell  the  truth." 


260  A  Friend  in  Need. 

"Do  you  mean  to  praise  him?" 

"Only  give  him  his  due.  He  could  become  a  power- 
ful leader  here  in  Yale,  if  he  wasn't  crooked.  He 
wants  to  be  a  leader,  too;  but  his  crookedness  will  do 
him  by  and  by.  I've  never  seen  it  fail  yet." 

"You  know  the  talk  he's  still  making  about  you  over 
that  football-game?" 

"Oh,  yes,  I  know  it !" 

"He's  harping  about  your  unfairness  and  your  unfit- 
ness  to  be  captain  of  the  team.  He  says  that 
you " 

"All  of  which  matters  nothing  at  all  to  me,  Hodge ! 
There  are  a  lot  of  fellows  here  who  are  determined  to 
think  no  good  of  me  and  believe  no  good  of  me.  If 
they  want  to  swallow  Morgan's  gauzy  stuff  I  shall 
not  trouble  to  keep  them  from  it.  It  would  be  of  no 
use.  As  fast  as  I  could  contradict  one  lie,  he  would 
hatch  up  another." 

There  was  a  tap  on  the  door.  Merriwell  rose  to 
see  who  was  there  and  found  a  man  with  a  letter.  He 
tore  the  envelope  open  and  read : 

"Starbright  was  drugged  at  the  banquet  at  the  'Ma- 
jestic' and  is  now  somewhere  on  a  howling  drunk  from 
the  effects  of  it  DIRK." 

"What  is  it?"  Hodge  asked. 

"Just  a  note  from  Dirk,"  Frank  answered,  putting 
it  in  his  pocket  without  further  explanation. 


A  Friend  in  Need.  261 

Hodge  tried  to  read  his  friend's  face,  but  found 
it  as  calm  and  unmoved  as  ever,  though  he  fancied  the 
note  must  have  contained  something  of  importance, 
and  was  inwardly  raging  because  Frank  had  not  chosen 
to  take  him  into  his  confidence. 

Frank  was  about  to  turn  to  his  desk  to  write  an  an- 
swer, when  a  quick  step  was  heard  in  the  corridor. 
Turning  to  the  door  where  Dirk's  messenger  was  wait- 
ing, Frank  saw  Bert  Dashleigh.  The  latter's  face  was 
troubled  and  perplexed. 

"I'd  like  to  see  you  a  minute,  Merriwell!" 

"Certainly,"  said  Frank,  rising  from  the  table  and 
going  out  into  the  corridor. 

Dashleigh  took  him  by  the  arm  and  drew  him  along 
until  the  two  were  beyond  earshot  of  Hodge  and  the 
messenger. 

"It's  about  Dick,"  Bert  anxiously  whispered.  "He's 
been  missing  ever  since  last  night.  He  got  to  drinking 
at  the  banquet  last  night  and  disappeared.  I've  been 
quietly  looking  for  him  all  day,  and  just  by  chance  I 
stumbled  a  while  ago  on  information  that  leads  me  to 
believe  that  he  is  in  Rupert  Chickering's  rooms.  Of 
course  he's  intoxicated  and  they're  keeping  him  there. 
They  hate  him,  you  know !" 

"How  did  you  find  out?" 

Bert  looked  more  troubled  and  a  bit  ashamed. 

"Well,  you  see — that  is,  I  have  been  a  little  chummy 
with  the  Chickering  set,  and  I  thought  I  would  go  up 


262  A  Friend  in  Need. 

there  to-night  a  little  while.  I  couldn't  get  in,  for 
the  doors  were  locked,  but  I  heard  Dick's  voice.  I 
knew  he  had  been  drinking,  from  the  sound  of  it." 

"I'll  go  right  over  there!"  Frank  promised  quietly, 
with  a  look  of  grim  determination.  Then,  while  Bert 
Dashleigh  slipped  away,  filled  with  uneasiness  for  his 
friend,  Starbright,  and  with  admiration  and  thankful- 
ness toward  Merriwell,  Frank  went  back  to  his  rooms. 

Hastily  scratching  a  few  lines  to  Selton  Dirk,  Frank 
put  them  in  a  sealed  envelope,  which  he  gave  to  Hodge 
instead  of  to  the  messenger. 

"Take  those  to  Dirk  for  me,  please,"  he  said. 

Bart  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant. 

"It's  a  personal  matter,  Bart.  I  can  explain  it  to 
you  by  and  by." 

Bart  had  his  hat  and  was  ready  to  go. 

"Any  answer?"  he  questioned. 

"No.  And  say,  Bart,  I  may  be  out  when  you  re- 
turn. If  I  am,  don't  wait  for  me." 

Bart  hesitated. 

"And  if  I  should  be  gone  a  day  or  so,  don't  think 
anything  strange  about  it,"  Merry  added. 

"Anything  about  Dade  Morgan?"  Bart  demanded, 
with  flashing  eyes." 

"Yes;  just  one  of  his  plots.  But  I'm  going  to  block 
it  You  can  help  me  more  by  carrying  that  to  Dirk 
than  in  any  other  way  just  now." 


A  Friend  in  Need.  263 

The  faithful  fellow  was  in  the  corridor,  and  in  an- 
other moment  Frank  heard  him  tramping  away. 

"No  other  answer,"  Frank  said  to  the  messenger, 
who  still  respectfully  waited,  and  the  man  disappeared 
after  Bart. 

When  both  were  gone,  Frank  hastened  toward  the 
rooms  of  Rupert  Chickering.  He  found  the  doors 
locked,  and  there  was  no  reply  to  his  knock,  though 
he  heard  whispered  voices,  and  knew  that  the  rooms 
were  occupied.  Again  his  hard  knuckles  hammered 
on  the  panels  of  the  door. 

"Who's  there?"  came  in  the  voice  of  Julian  Ives. 

Merriwell  disguised  his  voice. 

"Open  the  door!" 

The  command  was  peremptory.  There  was  a  shuf- 
fling inside;  then  the  door  was  cautiously  unlocked 
and  drawn  partly  open. 

Frank  put  his  shoulder  against  it  and  hurled  it  wide 
open.  Lew  Veazie  stood  there  with  his  ferocious  dog- 
head  cane.  Behind  Veazie,  Frank  saw  other  forms. 

"Why,  you  wude  cweature!"  Veazie  protested,  flour- 
ishing the  cane. 

Frank  pushed  on  without  noticing  this  challenge. 
Veazie,  remembering  that  he  had  once  said  that  he 
would  like  nothing  better  than  to  meet  Merriwell  face 
to  face  armed  with  that  cane,  and  feeling  that  the  eyes 
of  his  friends  were  on  him  did  not  dare  to  show  the 
svhite  feather,  and  struck  viciously  at  Merriwell. 


264  A  Friend  in  Need. 

In  an  instant  the  beautiful  cane  was  out  of  his 
hand,  and  he  heard  it  snap  in  two  across  Merriwell's 
knee. 

"Why,  you  thcoundrel!"  he  lisped.  "How  dare 
you?" 

Frank  brushed  him  aside  as  if  he  were  a  fly,  and 
strode  into  the  room,  looking  about  him  with  a  glance 
that  set  the  hearts  of  the  Chickering  set  to  palpitating. 

For  a  moment  Gene  Skelding  appeared  about  to 
launch  himself  at  Merriwell's  throat,  but  he  thought 
better  of  it  and  retreated  with  the  others. 

"What  do  you  want  ?"  Chickering  asked. 

"I  want  Dick  Starbright!"  he  demanded. 

"Thish  way !  Right  side  up !"  he  heard  a  thick  voice 
mumble  from  the  adjoining  room. 

Packard  stepped  forward  as  if  to  oppose  Frank,  and 
Defarge  fell  in  behind  him. 

"See  here,"  said  Merriwell,  facing  them  quietly. 
"You  fellows  know  why  I  am  here." 

"We  know  that  you're  an  insolent  scoundrel!" 
panted  Packard,  who  had  drunk  just  enough  liquor  to 
make  him  pugilistic,  though  he  had  pretended  to  Dick 
Starbright  that  he  was  drinking  like  a  fish. 

A  blow  squarely  between  the  eyes  knocked  Packard 
against  the  wall.  He  was  dazed  for  a  moment;  but, 
thrusting  his  hand  into  the  side  pocket  of  his  coat,  he 
slipped  on  a  set  of  iron  knuckles,  and  again  came  at 
Merriwell,  while  Defarge  also  rushed  at  Frank. 


A  Friend  in  Need.  265 

Defarge  tumbled  backward  from  a  blow  that  fairly 
lifted  him  from  the  floor,  while  Merriwell  with  his  left 
hand  gripped  Packard's  wrist  and  gave  it  a  wrench 
that  sent  the  fellow  to  his  knees. 

"Let  me  out  of  here,  fellowth!"  Lew  Veazie 
screeched.  "The  man'th  cwazy !  Let  me  out  of  here !" 

Julian  Ives,  Ollie  Lord,  and  Tilton  Hull  rushed  for 
the  open  door  at  the  same  time,  and,  coming  together 
with  a  butting  crash,  fell  to  the  floor  in  a  heap. 

Rupert  Chickering  looked  as  if  he  wanted  to  run, 
too.  Gene  Skelding  alone  of  all  the  inane  set  held  his 
ground. 

Then  a  lionlike  voice  sounded  in  Merriwell's  ear, 
and  he  saw  the  giant  form  of  the  young  freshman, 
Dick  Starbright,  at  his  side.  Starbright  was  reeling 
and  scarcely  able  to  stand,  but  there  was  an  awful 
glitter  of  fight  in  his  shining  eyes. 

"I'll  stand  by  you,  Mer'well!"  he  declared,  in  his 
thickened  voice.  "I'll  stand  by  you,  till  the  seas  run 
dry.  You  hear  me!" 

"What  do  you  want  ?"  Chickering  again  demanded. 

Frank  flashed  a  defiant  glance  at  Defarge  and  Ro- 
land Packard,  who  seemed  to  want  to  renew  their  at- 
tack, having  already  partly  recovered  from  the  effects 
of  the  heavy  blows  given  them. 

"I  wanted  to  see  Starbright  on  a  little  private  busi- 
ness this  evening,  and  I  merely  called  for  that  pur- 
pose!" Frank  answered,  in  a  voice  as  smooth  as  silk. 


266  A  Friend  in  Need. 

"That's  all.  Dick  is  going  with  me!  Aren't  you, 
Dick?" 

He  took  Starbright  by  the  arm  and  steadied  him. 

"S-sure!"  admitted  Starbright.  "Go  wherever  Mer- 
riwell  leads.  You  hear  me!  Go  wherever  Merriwell 
leads,  'fit's  against  the  bub-biggest  football-team  on 
earth.  You  hear  me!  Goin'  t'  lick  the  stuffin'  out  of 
the  Indians  next  week!" 

And  Merriwell,  with  a  scornful  look  at  the  cold- 
blooded miscreants  around  him,  walked  Dick  out  of 
the  room,  without  a  hand  being  lifted  to  detain  him. 

When  Bart  Hodge  returned  to  Merriwell's  rooms 
from  Selton  Dirk's,  he  found  the  doors  locked  and  the 
rooms  dark. 

But  Merriwell  was  in  there,  and  so  was  Dick  Star- 
bright,  the  latter  sound  asleep  on  a  bed. 

The  rooms  were  locked  and  silent  all  the  next  day 
and  far  into  the  night,  as  Bart  found  by  repeated  calls. 
Neither  Merriwell  nor  Starbright  appeared  in  their 
classes  that  Monday,  nor  were  they  seen  anywhere 
about  the  college  grounds  or  on  the  New  Haven 
streets. 

Hodge  believed  and  reported  that  Frank  was  out  of 
town,  and  Dashleigh,  whom  Frank  had  taken  into  his 
confidence,  not  only  reported  that  Dick  Starbright 
was  also  out  of  the  city,  but  cleverly  contrived  to  smug- 
gle some  food  into  Frank's  rooms. 


A  Friend  in  Need.  267 

Such  absences  were  not  unusual,  and  they  excited 
scarcely  a  ripple  of  comment.  The  Chickering  set  had 
vainly  tried  to  get  Starbright  down  from  Rupert's 
apartments  that  he  might  make  a  public  exhibition  of 
himself  in  an  intoxicated  condition,  and  now  Frank 
was  resolved  that  no  other  persons  should  see  him  in 
that  state. 

But  the  Chickering  crowd  spread  the  report  of  Star- 
bright's  fall,  nevertheless,  and  were  aided  in  it  by  Dade 
Morgan,  Defarge,  Roland  Packard,  and  others,  who 
retailed  the  story  as  if  it  were  something  delectable. 

But  Merriwell  stood  guard  over  the  drugged  and 
drink-crazed  freshman,  and  that  Monday  night  con- 
ducted him  to  his  rooms,  remaining  there  with  him  all 
night. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  Frank  and  Dick  were  back  in 
their  classes,  Frank  as  serene  and  unperturbed  as  ever, 
and  Dick  looking  determined  and  resolute,  though  his 
face  was  noticeably  white,  and  there  was  a  trembling 
of  his  hands  which  he  could  not  entirely  overcome. 

Again  Merriwell  had  saved  Dick  Starbright,  and 
Dade  Morgan,  in  the  silence  of  his  room,  fumed  and 
raged,  and  set  his  wits  to  work  to  invent  new  plans  for 
Dick's  overthrow  and  to  supplement  and  carry  out  cer- 
tain instructions  pertaining  to  the  Indian  football- 
game  which  he  had  that  day  received  in  a  letter  from 
Hector  King. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
MERRIWELL'S    PERIL. 

A  great  tide  of  humanity  was  pouring  steadily  out 
of  the  Yale  field  to  witness  the  game  between  Yale's 
triumphant  eleven  and  the  fighting  football  Indians 
from  Carlisle.  The  electric  cars  were  crowded,  and 
people  on  foot  and  in  carriages  were  moving  toward 
the  field  long  before  the  time  for  the  beginning  of  the 
game. 

Horses  and  equipages  were  decked  with  blue  rib- 
bons. Blue  banners  fluttered  and  flaunted  in  the  streets 
and  over  awnings  and  round  awning  posts.  In  short, 
the  Yale  blue  was  everywhere,  even  in  the  sky  which 
was,  that  Wednesday  afternoon,  of  a  beautiful  deep 
azure. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  field  a  man  had  set  in  opera- 
tion a  large  captive  gas  balloon,  in  which  people  were 
making  short  ascensions  to  the  limit  of  the  length  of 
the  cable  holding  the  balloon.  This  balloon  was  decked 
out  in  blue  ribbons,  and  its  basket  was  wrapped  in  a 
mesh  of  blue. 

Even  the  New  Haven  dogs  wore  the  college  colors 
on  their  collars  and  round  their  necks,  and  had  bows 
of  blue  ribbons  tied  to  their  wagging  tails. 

Everywhere  the  loyal  New  Haven  people  were 
whooping  things  up  for  Yale,  and  the  Yale  cry  boomed 


Merriwell's  Peril.  269 

out  at  intervals  from  marching  undergraduates,  whose 
enthusiasm  was  keyed  to  such  tension  that  it  had  to  be 
given  audible  vent. 

The  Indians  were  there,  too.  That  is,  they  had  ar- 
rived in  New  Haven,  though  they  had  not  yet  shown 
themselves  at  the  field.  Some  Indian  rooters  had 
come  over  from  the  Carlisle  school  with  them,  but 
they  were  silent  so  far. 

Yet  all  Yale  and  New  Haven  knew  that  the  Indians 
were  no  mean  antagonists  on  a  football-field — that, 
in  fact,  Yale  had  that  day  before  her  as  hard  fighting 
on  the  gridiron  as  she  was  likely  to  be  forced  to  do 
during  the  football  season,  for  the  Indians  from  Car- 
lisle had  a  most  reckless  way  of  playing  football,  break- 
ing through  interference  like  battering-rams  and  mow- 
ing down  runners  as  if  the  fear  of  injuries  or  death 
itself  never  entered  one  of  their  heads. 

Frank  went  to  the  field  with  Inza  and  Elsie  in  a  car- 
riage, accompanied  by  Charles  Conrad  Merriwell. 

This  was  long  before  the  time  the  game  was  to  be 
called,  for  Merry  wanted  to  see  the  men  in  practise, 
and  the  girls  were  as  anxious  to  witness  this  as  he. 
Charles  Merriwell  had  also  developed  into  a  football 
enthusiast,  and  believed  that  his  son  Frank  was  the 
greatest  football  captain  that  ever  trod  any  gridiron. 

Dick  Starbright,  still  looking  white  and  feeling, 
weak,  but  with  an  unconquerable  resolution,  went  out 
to  the  field  in  a  trolley-car,  accompanied  by  Bert  Dash-. 


270  Merriwell's  Peril. 

leigh.  As  they  rode  along,  they  saw  Dade  Morgan 
dash  by  guiding  a  handsome  pair  of  high-stepping 
blacks.  Rosalind  Thornton  was  at  Dade's  side,  look- 
ing radiantly  beautiful. 

Dick's  face  whitened  still  more  when  he  beheld  her, 
but  he  made  no  comment,  and  Dashleigh,  observing 
this  look,  was  too  considerate  of  his  friend's  feelings 
to  say  a  word. 

"If  Dade  Morgan  hopes  to  take  away  any  of  my 
football  courage  by  that,"  thought  Dick,  "he  is  might- 
ily mistaken!" 

Dick  and  Be'rt  reached  the  field  some  time  after 
Merriwell  and  his  party.  One  of  the  first  things  that 
attracted  their  attention  after  getting  out  of  the  car 
was  the  beribboned  and  blue-decked  balloon,  soaring 
lightly  above  the  heads  of  the  swarming  people  out- 
side of  the  field. 

In  the  basket  of  this  balloon,  as  they  approached  it, 
they  saw  Charles  Conrad  Merriwell  and  Inza  Bur- 
rage.  Though  both  were  some  distance  above  the 
heads  of  the  two  youths,  yet  Dick  and  Bert  were  able 
to  hear  Inza's  joyous  laughter  and  something  of  the 
talk  of  Merriwell,  though  not  the  subject  matter  of  the 
talk. 

"Charles  Merriwell  has  rented  the  balloon  for  the 
remainder  of  the  afternoon,"  they  heard  a  student  say, 
"and  Inza  Burrage  is  going  to  sit  with  him  up  there 
and  watch  the  game.  That's  what  I  call  great!  It 


Merriwell's  Peril.  271 

beats  a  grand-stand  seat  all  hollow!  Frank  Merri- 
well's a  lucky  dog  to  have  a  father  with  money  to  burn 
and  not  afraid  to  burn  it." 

Then  Dick  heard  Charles  Merriwell  give  some  order 
to  the  man  who  stood  at  the  lower  end  of  the  cable, 
which  was  fastened  to  a  powerful  winch. 

"The  old  man's  going  to  come  down !"  was  the  next 
thing  that  Starbright  heard  from  the  lips  of  some  one 
on  the  ground. 

The  balloon  began  to  descend  slowly.  It  came 
down  until  it  was  not  more  than  a  dozen  feet  from  the 
ground. 

Then  there  was  a  sudden  snap  of  the  cable,  which 
strained,  while  the  balloon  gave  a  lurch.  Inza  uttered 
a  startled  cry,  and  pointed  downward,  and  Charles 
Merriwell,  rising  in  the  basket,  seemed  about  to  jump 
to  the  ground. 

There  was  another  snap,  as  a  strand  of  the  cable 
parted,  and  another  lurch  of  the  balloon. 

Up  to  this  moment  neither  Dick  nor  Bert  had  ob- 
served Frank  Merriwell.  Now  they  saw  him  dive 
through  the  crowd  as  if  he  were  a  football-runner  bur- 
rowing through  an  interference,  hurling  people  right 
and  left. 

Bert  gave  a  gasping  cry,  when  he  heard  another  snap 
of  the  rope  and  saw  the  balloon  shoot  upward  like  a 
rocket.  Frank  Merriwell  was  hanging  to  the  cable  at- 
tached to  the  balloon,  and  was  also  shooting  upward! 


272  Merriwell's  Peril. 

Frank  had  been  only  a  few  yards  away  when  he 
saw  the  balloon  give  that  first  lurch.  He  knew  that 
for  some  reason  the  rope  was  parting,  and  he  forth- 
with dove  at  reckless  speed  through  the  excited  crowd 
toward  the  basket  in  which  sat  Inza  and  his  father. 
The  thought  that  perhaps  this  was  some  of  the  unex- 
pected work  of  the  mysterious  foe,  who  had  been  stri- 
king at  him  from  the  dark,  shot  through  him  like  a 
flash. 

He  had  no  time  for  investigation,  however.  Push- 
ing people  to  the  right  and  left,  he  crossed  the  inter- 
vening distance  in  a  mad  rush,  and  could  do  no  more 
than  lay  his  hands  on  the  upper  part  of  the  severed 
rope  as  the  basket  was  jerked  violently  up. 

As  the  balloon  shot  skyward,  lifting  him  with  it,  he 
for  the  first  time  observed  that  the  wind  was  setting 
strongly  toward  the  bay  and  the  Sound,  and  the  seem- 
ingly wild  thought  that  the  whole  thing  was  the  work 
of  the  miscreant  who  had  caused  the  bomb  to  be  shot 
at  him  from  the  woods  on  the  afternoon  of  the  athletic 
games  deepened  almost  into  a  certainty. 

His  dash  toward  the  basket  had  been  in  the  hope 
that  he  could  do  something  to  stop  the  impending  peril. 
Further  than  that  he  had  not  been  given  time  to  think. 
Now  he  realized  that  his  own  peril  was  even  greater 
than  that  of  those  in  the  basket. 

A  great  roar  was  arising  from  the  throats  of  the  ex- 


Merriwell's  Peril.  273 

cited  people  below — a  roar  that  smote  wildly  and  al- 
most deafeningly  on  Frank's  ears  as  he  was  thus  borne 
upward. 

He  could  not  drop  to  the  ground  now.  He  knew 
that,  and  he  knew,  too,  that  he  had  no  desire  to  drop. 
The  balloon  was  already  setting  bay  ward,  and  if  he 
could  get  into  the  basket,  his  nerve  and  experience 
might  enable  him  to  save  his  father  and  Inza  from  the 
terrible  fate  of  being  carried  out  to  sea  and  drowned. 

This  last  blow  of  his  foe  was  the  most  terrible  of 
all.  It  was  so  villainous  that  it  did  not  seem  possible 
a  being  in  human  form  could  have  aimed  it. 

The  rope  was  trailing  between  Frank's  legs,  and  he 
gave  a  quick  downward  glance  at  it.  Though  its  end 
was  swishing  and  swaying  in  the  wind,  so  that  he  could 
not  see  it  plainly,  he  felt  sure  it  had  been  severed,  or 
partly  so,  with  a  knife. 

"If  I  could  only  get  into  the  basket!"  was  his 
thought.  And  it  was  instantly  followed  by  the  iron  de- 
termination : 

"I  will  get  into  it!" 

Charles  Merriwell,  with  face  as  white  as  his  hair, 
was  staring  down  at  his  son. 

Inza  was  at  his  side,  and,  though  her  dark  cheeks 
were  now  pale,  there  was  something  in  her  glance  that 
helped  to  sink  that  iron  resolution  deeper  into  Frank's 
soul. 

"You  can  make  it,  Frank!"  she  urged,  in  a  voice 


274  Merriwell's  Peril. 

that  was  as  calm  and  steady  as  if  she  were  merely  talk- 
ing to  him  on  the  ground.  "I  am  sure  you  can  make 
it!" 

Frank  had  no  breath  for  words,  but  his  look  sent 
back  an  answering  assurance.  He  did  not  again  glance 
toward  the  ground,  which  seemed  dropping  away  from 
the  balloon  with  frightful  velocity,  but  began  to  climb 
upward  toward  the  car,  hand  over  hand. 

Now  all  the  athletic  training  of  years  found  its 
recompense.  The  muscles  of  steel,  the  nerves  of  iron, 
the  immeasurable  calmness,  the  thinking  head,  and  the 
cool  judgment — all  the  things  that  had  become  his  by 
training  and  perseverance,  all  the  powers  that  had 
made  him  master  on  the  baseball-field,  the  football  and 
the  athletic-field,  that  had  carried  him  successfully 
through  trials  and  adventures  innumerable,  came  to  his 
aid  in  this  time  of  supreme  need. 

Hand  over  hand,  with  Inza's  cool  assuring  voice 
calling  to  him,  Frank  climbed  steadily  up  the  swaying 
rope — mounted  as  surely  and  firmly  as  if  he  were 
merely  climbing  a  rope  in  the  Yale  gymnasium,  as  he 
had  climbed  them  there  hundreds  of  times. 

The  people  below  swarmed  to  and  fro  and  howled 
and  shouted,  in  a  very  paroxysm  of  excitement,  and 
the  din  of  it  came  to  his  ears ;  for,  though  the  balloon 
was  so  rapidly  swinging  upward  and  away,  sound  rises 
to  a  surprising  distance.  Not  for  a  moment  did  his 
iron  nerve  relax. 


Merriwell's  Peril.  275 

Then  he  felt  Inza's  hands  on  one  of  his  upthrust 
wrists,  looked  squarely  into  her  earnest,  courageous 
dark  eyes,  and  heard  her  say : 

"Now  you're  safe,  Frank!" 

Another  upward  swing,  and  he  hooked  his  fingers 
over  the  rim  of  the  basket. 

Charles  Merriwell  had  him  by  the  arms  and  shoul- 
ders. Inza  was  aiding  him,  too. 

Thus  assisted,  Frank  climbed  up  and  into  the  basket, 
where  he  dropped  down  almost  breathless. 

He  heard  a  great  shout,  like  a  shout  of  triumph, 
wafted  faintly  upward  from  the  receding  earth. 

"Thank  God!"  Charles  Merriwell  gasped. 

"I  knew  you  could  do  it,  Frank!"  Inza  whispered, 
putting  her  arms  round  him  to  support  him.  But  he 
did  not  need  this  aid.  He  was  somewhat  blown,  that 
was  all,  and  now  he  straightened  up,  and,  bending  over 
the  basket,  looked  downward. 

The  people  in  and  near  the  ball-field,  clustered  in  ex- 
cited groups  or  running  about,  had  dwindled  to  the 
size  of  very  small  children.  They  made  him  think 
of  nothing  so  much  as  an  excited  nest  of  ants. 

The  city  of  New  Haven,  the  surrounding  country, 
and  the  bay,  stretched  out  beneath  him  like  a  great 
map.  The  houses  seemed  small,  and  the  cars  on  the 
electric  lines,  as  well  as  the  vessels  in  the  harbor,  looked 
very  diminutive.  It  was  a  wonderful  panorama  which 
rolled  out  below. 


276  Merriwell's  Peril. 

But  Frank  at  once  aroused  to  action.  He  saw  that 
the  balloon  was  being  carried  by  the  breeze  straight  out 
over  the  bay.  Already  they  were  over  the  water-line. 

"The  next  is  to  find  out  how  to  get  down." 

He  spoke  quite  calmly. 

"If  we  succeed  in  descending  we  shall  go  right  into 
the  water,"  said  his  father. 

"I'm  sure  some  one  cut  the  rope!"  declared  Inza. 

Merriwell  drew  the  end  of  the  rope  into  the  basket. 
It  had  been  half -severed  by  a  knife. 

"Who  did  it?" 

"I  don't  know  who.  I  thought  I  saw  a  man  slash 
at  it  with  a  knife." 

Frank  thought  again  of  the  mysterious  man  who 
had  caused  the  bomb  to  be  fired  at  him  from  the  fringe 
of  woods. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

INTO     THE     WATER. 

Inza  could  not  tell  who  the  man  was  she  fancied 
she  had  seen  slash  at  the  balloon  rope,  and,  after  think- 
ing over  the  matter  a  moment,  Frank  reached  the  con- 
clusion that  it  had  not  been  the  balloonist  himself.  The 
knife-stroke,  quickly  given,  had  been  delivered  by  some 
mysterious  hand,  presumably  the  hand  of  some  one 
paid  by  him  to  strike  at  Charles  Conrad  Merriwell. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  this  blow  had  been 
aimed  at  the  elder  Merriwell  himself— which  took  no 
account  of  the  fact  that  in  seeking  to  doom  Charles 
Merriwell  to  an  awful  death  in  the  waters  of  the  bay 
or  Sound,  the  life  of  an  innocent  girl  was  also  to  be 
sacrificed  if  the  plan  succeeded. 

Mr.  Merriwell  sprang  for  a  rope  that  was  trailing 
downward  from  the  top  of  the  balloon,  and  began  to 
pull  at  it,  thinking  it  was  the  valve-rope  for  the  purpose 
of  releasing  the  gas. 

Frank  caught  his  hand. 

"No,"  he  said,  as  he  stayed  the  hand  of  his  father, 
"that  is  not  the  rope.  That  rope  is  sewed  into  the  cloth 
of  the  balloon.  If  you  should  jerk  hard  on  that  you 
would  tear  out  a  section  of  the  balloon  envelope,  which 
would  send  us  down  like  a  shot." 

Charles  Merriwell  gasped. 


278  Into  the  Water. 

"Nearly  all  gas-balloons  have  such  a  rope,  to  be  used 
only  in  desperate  emergencies,  when  it  is  better  to  go 
down  like  a  shot  and  take  the  chances  rather  than  stay 
up  longer,"  explained  Frank. 

He  took  hold  of  a  second  dangling  cord.  But  be- 
fore pulling  it  he  looked  about  and  down  into  the 
basket. 

"If  we  go  up  higher  we  may  strike  a  current  that 
will  help  us." 

Then  he  stooped  and  threw  out  a  heavy  bag  of  sand 
that  rested  at  his  feet.  The  balloon  began  to  ascend 
rapidly.  Inza  uttered  a  cry  of  joy. 

"The  breeze  has  changed !" 

"Yes,  we've  struck  another  current!" 

Charles  Merriwell's  eyes  took  on  a  look  of  hope.  He 
was  in  many  respects  as  courageous  as  his  son,  but 
that  sudden  flight  of  the  balloon  had  somewhat  un- 
nerved him,  and  the  drift  over  the  bay  was  truly  alarm- 
ing. 

"We're  setting  toward  that  point  of  land !"  said 
Inza. 

Frank  was  studying  it  and  calculating  the  chances. 
Glancing  toward  the  wharves,  he  saw  some  boats  put- 
ting out,  among  them  a  swift  tug,  and  he  knew  that 
their  peril  had  been  communicated  to  the  wharves  by 
telephone,  and  that  an  effort  was  being  made  to  aid 
them,  if  possible. 


Into  the  Water.  279 

Again  he  studied  the  point  of  land  toward  which 
the  balloon  was  now  drifting.  Beyond  that  point  was 
more  water.  If  the  balloon  could  be  shot  down  quickly 
it  might  land  on  that  point,  but  if  the  lower  seaward- 
setting  current  caught  it  again,  it  would  be  borne  out 
beyond  the  point,  and  the  result  would  be  disastrous. 

The  tug  was  plowing  along,  getting  under  good 
headway,  with  a  cloud  of  black  smoke  pouring  from 
her  funnel. 

"You  won't  be  able  to  win  that  football-game  this 
afternoon,  Frank!"  said  Inza. 

He  looked  into  her  eyes,  dark  and  deep  as  wells. 
The  statement  had  not  been  made  hysterically. 

"If  we  can  land,  there  is  no  telling  what  may  hap- 
pen. The  first  thing  is  to  make  a  landing." 

"Can't  you  descend  there?"  pointing  to  the  spur.  "I 
think  you  can !" 

"We  must  try  it.    There  is  nothing  else  to  do  !'* 

The  time  had  come  for  action.  Frank  firmly  pulled 
the  valve-cord,  and  the  hiss  of  escaping  gas  was  at 
once  heard.  The  balloon  began  to  settle.  He  pulled 
the  valve  wider  open,  and  the  balloon  dropped  down- 
ward with  frightful  velocity.  The  current  of  seaward- 
setting  air  caught  it  and  bent  the  collapsing  bag  sea- 
ward; but  Frank  continued  to  let  the  gas  escape,  and 
so  rapidly  that  the  heavily  freighted  car  shot  down, 
down,  through  the  air  current. 

Yet  there  was  enough  breeze,  pushing  against  the  col- 


280  Into  the  Water. 

lapsing  envelope  to  swing  the  balloon  out  to  the  very 
tip  of  the  point  of  land. 

"We're  going  to  drop  into  the  water!"  said  Charles 
Merriwell. 

Frank  saw  that  this  was  so.  He  released  the  cord 
and  threw  out  the  other  bags  of  sand. 

But  the  buoyancy  of  the  bag  had  been  so  reduced 
that  the  balloon  continued  to  settle  in  spite  of  this. 

"Get  ready  to  jump!"  he  said.  "We  will  have  to 
swim  for  it!" 

He  put  his  arm  round  Inza  in  a  protecting  way. 
The  tug  was  still  too  far  off  to  render  assistance. 

With  desperate  courage,  Frank  again  pulled  the 
valve-cord,  hoping  the  balloon  would  strike  the  ex- 
treme tip  of  the  land ;  but,  though  the  car  shot  fright- 
fully downward,  with  the  collapsing  envelope  almost 
dropping  upon  the  car  in  a  smothering  way,  the  point 
of  land  was  missed. 

Frank  commanded  his  father  to  leap,  and  Charles 
Merriwell  sprang  from  the  basket. 

Before  Frank  could  follow  his  example,  the  basket 
struck  the  water,  the  envelope  and  its  meshing  cords 
fell  upon  him  and  Inza,  and  he  found  himself  flounder- 
ing with  her  in  the  water. 

He  instantly  became  aware  that  Inza  had  in  some 
manner  been  rendered  unconscious  and  helpless.  She 
rested  in  his  arms  like  a  lump  of  lead.  The  mesh  of 


Into  the  Water.  281 

the  collapsed  balloon  bag  and  the  water  was  choking 
him. 

He  tried  to  tear  the  envelope  aside  with  his  free 
hand,  and,  failing  in  that,  he  sank  in  the  water,  giving 
himself  a  downward  push  against  the  basket.  He  was 
still  clinging  to  Inza. 

That  downward  dive  freed  him  from  the  balloon, 
and  he  now  began  to  fight  to  get  to  the  surface  before 
it  was  too  late,  with  a  horrible  fear  for  Inza's  safety 
tugging  at  his  heart. 

It  seemed  an  age  before  he  reached  the  surface  of 
the  water,  where  he  could  breathe  and  look  around. 

His  first  glance  was  into  Inza's  face.  It  was  white 
and  deathly,  and  a  red  contusion  on  the  right  side  of 
her  head  in  the  edge  of  the  hair  showed  where  she  had 
been  struck — by  the  shaft  of  the  light  balloon  anchor, 
as  he  afterward  was  sure. 

He  saw  his  father  in  the  water  a  few  feet  away, 
coming  toward  him,  and  he  knew  that  Mr.  Merriwell 
had  been  swimming  round  in  the  hope  of  being  able 
to  render  assistance. 

"Swim  for  the  land!"  he  urged. 

It  was  but  a  few  yards  away,  and  Charles  Merriwell 
turned  toward  it,  and  Frank,  alarmed  beyond  measure 
for  Inza,  began  to  swim  in  the  same  direction,  holding 
her  head  well  out  of  the  water  and  fighting  against  the 
tide  with  his  strong,  free  arm. 

The  struggle  that  followed  was  a  fierce  one,  for  the 


282  Into  the  Water. 

tide  was  powerful,  and  Merriwell  was  heavily  weighted 
and  hampered  by  the  girl  who  lay  on  his  arm  like  a 
log.  But  he  succeeded  in  gaining  the  shore,  and  stag- 
gered up  the  beach  almost  exhausted. 

His  father  was  at  his  side  to  render  aid.  Frank 
placed  Inza  gently  on  the  sand,  stripped  off  his  coat  for 
a  pillow  for  her  head,  and  at  once  began  energetic 
efforts  for  her  restoration.  A  horseman,  who  had  seen 
the  balloon  drop  into  the  water,  came  galloping  down 
the  little  peninsula. 

"She  needs  the  aid  of  a  doctor,"  suggested  Charles 
Merriwell. 

Frank  saw  that  this  was  so,  and,  without  delay,  he 
mounted  to  the  proffered  saddle,  where  Inza  was 
handed  up  to  him,  and  then  rode  across  the  point  to- 
ward the  oncoming  tug,  beckoning  with  his  hand. 
He  had  lost  his  hat,  and  the  balloon  was  drifting  out 
to  sea. 

The  tug  sounded  its  whistle  in  answer  to  his  signal 
and  turned  toward  the  shore.  He  was  out  of  the  sad- 
dle, supporting  Inza  on  the  sand,  a  great  dread  in  his 
heart,  when  the  tug  lay  to  off  shore  and  sent  a  boat 
for  him. 

A  little  later,  both  were  on  the  tug,  dripping  wet, 
and  the  tug,  urged  by  Frank's  desire  for  haste,  was 
flying  back  to  the  New  Haven  wharves,  with  Inza  still 
unconscious. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE   COURAGE   OF   INZA. 

Frank  Merriwell  was  again  on  the  football-field,  less 
than  two  hours  after  the  startling  flight  of  the  bal- 
loon. Inza  had  sent  him  there — from  her  cot  in  the 
hospital,  where,  with  shining  eyes  and  indomitable 
spirit,  she  had  begged  him  to  return  to  the  field  and 
win  the  game. 

"You  can  do  it,  Frank!"  she  had  urged.  "I  am  all 
right,  really.  Ask  the  surgeon.  He  will  tell  you  that 
I  am  all  right.  I  want  you  to  go,  and  I  want  you  to 
win  that  game.  You  will  make  a  better  fight,  I  know, 
if  you  think  of  me  lying  here  longing  for  you  to  win 
and  sure  that  you  can  win!" 

Frank  talked  with  the  surgeon. 

"I  think  she  is  all  right,"  the  surgeon  said. 

"Then  you  are  not  sure  of  it?" 

"Well,  you  see,  I  can't  tell  just  how  serious  that 
blow  on  the  head  was.  She  was  delirious  at  first,  you 
know.  But  her  mind  is  clear  now.  Yes,  I  think  she  is 
all  right,  and  that  it  will  be  safe  for  you  to  go." 

"And  if  there  is " 

"If  there  is  any  change,  I  will  let  you  know  immedi- 
ately, and  you  can  leave  the  field." 

Elsie,  who  had  been  summoned,  with  a  loyal,  loving 
devotion,  remained  with  Inza,  for  the  purpose  of 


284  The  Courage  of  Inza. 

watching  at  her  bedside  until  she  should  be  able  to 
leave  the  hospital.  Elsie,  with  a  heart  as  true  as  her 
blue  eyes! 

And  Frank  hurried  to  the  field,  filled  with  a  deter- 
mination to  lead  his  football-team  to  victory,  in  spite 
of  all  that  had  occurred,  and  sure,  as  Inza  had  said, 
that  the  thought  of  the  indomitable  heroine  on  the 
white  cot  in  the  New  Haven  hospital  would  stir  his 
resolution  and  put  the  fiber  of  certain  victory  into  his 
muscles  and  into  his  heart. 

The  great  crowd  was  streaming  back,  for  already 
the  fact  had  been  widely  heralded  that  Merriwell  had 
been  rescued  unharmed  and  would  play  the  game. 

The  delay  had  not  been  great.  The  Indians  had  been 
generous  and  had  not  demanded  that  the  play  should 
go  on;  but  they  were  ready  for  the  work  when  they 
knew  that  the  battle  was  to  be  waged. 

Frank  rallied  his  eleven  to  have  a  talk  with  them, 
followed  by  a  little  practise,  and  while  the  Carlisle  men 
were  getting  in  trim,  he  went  to  the  telephone  that  was 
on  the  field  and  talked  with  the  surgeon  concerning 
Inza's  condition.  Elsie  came  to  the  phone  and  spoke 
with  him. 

"Inza  is  doing  nicely,"  she  declared.  "We  know 
that  you  can  win!  Inza  says  that  you  can,  and  you 
know  that  when  she  says  a  thing  of  that  kind  she 
means  it!  Good-by!  We  will  see  you  and  your  men 


The  Courage  of  Inza.  285 

making  that  fight,  in  imagination,  if  no  other  way,  and 
remember  that  we  are  your  mascots !" 

Charles  Merriwell  came  upon  the  field  at  that  mo- 
ment and  hurried  up  to  Frank. 

"Almost  as  big  a  crowd  as  before  the  accident,"  he 
declared.  "I  am  hoping  it  will  be  a  great  game,  after 
all.  And  that  girl — both  of  them,  in  fact — are  as 
brave  as  they  can  be!" 

"Was  it  an  accident?"  Frank  asked. 

"It  would  seem  not.  The  rope  was  cut.  It  couldn't 
have  been  an  accident." 

"The  fellow  who  manipulated  the  balloon  is  gone,'* 
Frank  explained.  "It  is  said  that  he  has  taken  a  boat 
and  gone  out  into  the  bay  in  the  hope  of  recovering 
his  balloon.  Perhaps  we'll  get  at  the  truth  of  this  mat- 
ter after  a  while.  Just  now  we  must  play  football." 

The  football  enthusiasts  were  roaring.  The  after- 
noon had  been  full  of  excitement,  and  the  excitement  of 
what  was  expected  to  be  a  great  game  was  yet  to  come. 

The  Indians  were  still  practising,  their  great  shocks 
of  hair  above  their  stern  faces  bobbing  round  after 
the  ball.  The  Indian  rooters,  imitative  of  the  whites, 
now  and  then  raised  a  yell. 

The  Yale  rooters,  and  under  that  term  must  be 
grouped  all  of  the  Yale  undergraduates  and  most  of 
the  citizens  of  New  Haven  on  the  field,  were  grouped 
in  platoons.  Now  and  then  a  man  bobbed  up  in  front 
of  one  of  these  platoons,  swung  his  arms  in  fantastic 


286  The  Courage  of  Inza. 

fashion,  something  like  a  Sousa  waving  to  his  band, 
and  then  the  platoon  boomed  out  in  a  deafening  way 
that  drowned  the  yells  of  the  Indians.  One  of  the  pla- 
toons was  singing,  while  the  others  yelled  and  barked 
out  the  Yale  cry. 

The  tune  was,  "Hold  the  Fort." 

"Line  up,  rushers,  line  up  briskly, 

Line  up  with  a  will ; 
We  can  beat  the  famous  Red  Men, 
And  we  know  we  will. 

CHORUS  : 

"Hold  the  ball,   for   Merry's  coming, 

See,  he  signals  still ; 

Browning  goes  right  through  the  center, 
Win  we  must  and  will !" 

There  was  not  much  poetry  in  it,  but  it  was  roared 
out  in  a  brave  and  encouraging  way  and  served  to 
stiffen  the  nerves  and  the  determination  of  Yale's 
eleven. 

"You  bet  we  will !"  Bart  Hodge  declared.  "We're 
going  to  down  them  in  great  shape  this  afternoon.  No 
man  but  Merry  could  general  a  football-game  after 
what  he  has  been  through,  but  the  stuff  is  in  Merry. 
Why,  nearly  every  man  on  the  eleven  would  kill  him- 
self to  win  now.  We've  got  to  win !" 

"Sure!"  grunted  Browning,  while  his  eyes  shone  and 
his  great  chest  heaved. 

Then,  with  Inza's  words  and  Elsie's  ringing  in  his 
ears,  and  with  a  picture  in  his  heart  of  the  dark-eyed 


The  Courage  of  Inza.  287 

girl  on  that  white  cot  in  the  hospital,  Frank  Merrivvell 
gathered  his  eleven  round  him  and  went  onto  the  field. 
On  the  toss  Yale  won  the  choice  of  goal  and  made 
her  selection,  though  the  wind  had  died  down,  so  that 
really  there  was  not  much  advantage  to  be  gained. 
Then  the  teams  lined  up  on  the  gridiron  in  this  forma- 
tion, Frank  Merriwell  and  Dick  Starbright  having 
changed  positions  as  half-backs: 

YALE :  CARLISLE ! 

Bingham,  f.  b.  Cloudman,  1.  r. 

Starbright,  r.  h.  b.  Loup,  1.  t. 

Merriwell,  1.  h.  b.                          Pierce,  1.  g. 

Packard,  q.  b.  Miller,  c. 

Hodge,  r.  e.  Archiquette,  r.  g. 

Defarge,  f.  t.  Redwater,   r.   t. 

Beckwith,  r.  g.  Wheelock,  r.  e. 

Ready,  c.  Hudson,  capt,  q.  b. 

Browning,  1.  g.  Cayou,  1.  h.  b. 

Carson,  1.  t.  Metoxen,  r.  h.  b. 

Morgan,  1.   e.  Rogers,  f.  b. 

Merriwell  had  retained  Oliver  Packard,  for  he  saw 
that  Oliver  was  all  right  that  day  and  could  be  relied 
upon.  Besides,  there  was  no  better  man  for  the  posi- 
tion. He  had  likewise  retained  Bade  Morgan  and  Ber- 
trand  Defarge,  even  though  they  were  his  bitter  ene- 
mies. As  an  end  there  were  few  better  men  than  Mor- 
gan, and  Defarge  had  shown  that  he  could  do  excellent 
work  as  tackle.  Frank  believed  that  Morgan  was  the 
best  man  for  the  place  he  held,  notwithstanding  his 
strange,  and  still  unexplained,  flunk  in  the  relay  bi- 
cycle-race. Nevertheless,  Frank  had  plenty  of  substi- 


288  The  Courage  of  Inza. 

tutes  ready  to  take  these  positions  should  he  see  that 
there  was  need,  or  should  any  of  the  players  be  in- 
jured. 

Frank  looked  at  Starbright.  Dick's  face  was  still 
white,  but  there  was  in  it  a  determined  glance  that 
pleased  the  Yale  captain.  It  assured  him  that  he  could 
depend  on  the  giant  freshman  for  good  work  that  day. 

And  as  for  Hodge,  Browning,  Ready,  and  Carson, 
they  were  always  reliable  and  ever  to  be  depended  on 
to  do  their  best  for  Yale  and  for  Merriwell. 

The  Indians  had  the  kick-off,  and  the  ball  was  placed 
in  the  exact  center  of  the  field,  the  Yale  men  standing 
back  ten  yards  in  their  own  territory,  holding  them- 
selves in  tense  readiness,  like  hounds  straining  in  leash, 
for  the  opening  play. 

Pierce  made  the  kick-off  for  Carlisle — a  magnificent 
punt,  which  sent  the  pigskin  hurtling  over  the  field  far 
up  to  Yale's  eight-yard  line. 

The  friends  of  the  Indian  team  gave  a  yell  that 
sounded  like  a  fierce  war-whoop.  In  a  splendid  dash, 
Merriwell  caught  the  ball;  then  started  to  run  with  it. 

Both  teams  were  now  in  Yale's  territory.  Star- 
bright  and  Bingham  raced  at  Frank's  side  and  hurled 
themselves  forward  in  the  fierce  obstruction  of  the  In- 
dians' rush  line.  Dade  Morgan  overthrew  Pierce,  who 
broke  through  the  Yale  line  and  was  dashing  on  Frank, 
when  Carson  and  Browning  then  opened  up  a  path 
which  let  Frank  out  with  the  ball. 


The  Courage  of  Inza.  289 

The  Yale  rooters  sent  up  an  awful  roar.  Cayou, 
che  half-back,  was  bowled  over  by  Frank  himself,  who 
now  ran  for  the  Carlisle  goal. 

But  he  had  yet  to  account  with  Hudson,  the  captain, 
and  with  Cloudman,  the  giant  left  end,  who  came  at 
him  with  a  mighty  rush. 

Merriwell  evaded  the  outstretched  hands  of  Cloud- 
man, sprawled  Hudson  at  full  length,  and  then,  with 
Cloudman  racing  wildly  at  his  heels,  he  tore  along  for 
the  Carlisle  goal. 

Cloudman  was  a  mighty  runner,  and  though  baffled 
in  his  attempt  to  stop  Merriwell,  he  did  not  despair 
of  yet  being  able  to  tackle  from  behind. 

But  he  was  pursuing  an  even  mightier  runner.  With 
that  picture  of  Inza  on  the  white  cot,  and  Elsie  by  her 
side,  and  with  their  words  sounding  in  his  ears,  Mer- 
riwell flew  across  the  gridiron  in  a  mighty  burst  of 
speed  that  took  him  away  from  Cloudman  and  set 
him  far  ahead  of  the  others  who  were  rushing  along 
in  a  wild  tide. 

The  Yale  roar  boomed  forth,  followed  by  the  Yale 
cry,  as  platoon  after  platoon  burst  out  in  answer  to 
the  motions  of  the  men  who  seemed  to  rise  up  from  the 
earth  and  urge  them  to  crack  the  blue  dome  of  the  sky 
with  the  Yale  cheer. 

And  with  the  Yale  cry  seeming  to  lift  him,  Merri- 
well crossed  the  Carlisle  goal-line  in  safety  and  made 
a  touch-down. 


290  The  Courage  of  Inza. 

A  score  of  five  had  been  made  by  this  touch-down, 
which  would  become  six  if  a  goal  could  be  kicked. 

Merriwell  ordered  Browning  to  make  this  try  for 
goal,  and  Jack  Ready,  lying  flat  on  his  stomach,  held 
the  ball  in  his  outstretched  hands  and  turned  it  to  get  it 
in  just  the  position  that  Browning  desired.  The  In- 
dians were  standing  behind  their  goal,  straining  and 
tremulous,  ready  to  charge  like  angry  tigers  as  soon 
as  Ready  put  the  ball  on  the  ground. 

The  throng  in  the  benches  had  ceased  to  howl  and 
were  watching  in  breathless  expectation. 

Then  Ready,  having  sighted  and  aimed  the  ball  to 
suit  the  pleasure  of  the  giant  who  was  to  make  the 
place-kick,  put  it  on  the  ground  as  Bruce  signaled, 
and  the  Indians  instantly  made  a  wild  rush  to  try  to 
keep  a  goal  from  being  made. 

Plunk! 

The  sound  of  Browning's  toe  striking  the  pigskin 
was  heard  all  over  the  field.  The  ball  rose  in  its  swift 
flight,  passed  over  the  cross-bar  and  between  the  goal- 
posts, with  the  Yale  men  again  howling  out  their  de- 
light, and  the  score  was  6  to  o. 

The  ball  was  now  taken  again  to  the  center  of  the 
field  by  the  Carlisle  men,  the  Yale  men  falling  back 
ten  yards  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  game  and  holding 
themselves  in  tense  readiness. 

Pierce  again  made  the  kick-off  for  Carlisle,  sending 


The  Courage  of  Inza.  291 

the  ball  this  time  to  Yale's  thirty-two-yard  line,  where 
it  was  caught  by  Dade  Morgan. 

With  the  Indians  coming  at  him  like  unleashed 
hounds,  or  like  angry  waves  dashing  against  the  granite 
barrier  of  Yale's  interference,  Dade  ran  the  ball  back 
five  yards  toward  the  Carlisle  goal,  where  he  was 
tackled  by  Cayou,  and  lost  the  ball  on  a  fumble. 

Merriwell,  who  had  been  closely  watching  Morgan, 
saw  that  the  latter  was  playing  honest  football. 

Indeed,  Dade  had  reached  the  conclusion  that  the 
only  way  in  which  he  could  reinstate  himself  in  the 
good  graces  of  those  who  still  questioned  his  loyalty 
to  Yale  in  abandoning  his  mile  of  the  relay  bicycle- 
race  was  to  play  football  for  all  he  was  worth.  And 
this  he  was  doing.  He  was  a  superb  player,  who  de- 
lighted in  the  game,  and  Merriwell  still  believed  that  he 
was,  in  spite  of  all  that  might  be  said,  one  of  the  best 
men  on  the  eleven. 

The  Indians  had  secured  the  ball  and  now  had  it 
on  Yale's  forty-yard  line,  and  the  sympathizers  of  the 
Carlisle  men  were  barking  out  their  joy,  sounding  like 
a  pack  of  yelping  coyotes. 

Hudson,  for  the  Indians,  now  tried  to  kick  a  goal 
from  the  field,  dropping  back  for  room  and  kicking 
with  lightninglike  quickness,  while  the  red  men  tried 
with  arms  and  shoulders  and  bodies  to  hold  back  and 
break  the  Yale  rush. 


292  The  Courage  of  Inza. 

The  spectators  were  yelling  in  their  excitement. 

Browning  broke  through  the  Indian  interference, 
laying  Archiquette  and  Rogers  sprawling  on  their 
backs,  and,  though  Hudson  made  his  kick,  Browning 
was  so  close  upon  him  that  the  pigskin  was  veered  and 
went  wide  of  the  mark. 

It  had  seemed  for  a  moment  that  the  red  men  were 
to  have  a  goal,  and  secure  a  score  that  would  leave 
them  only  one  point  behind  Yale;  but  Browning  had 
broken  through  and  deflected  the  ball. 

The  ball  was  brought  out  to  Yale's  twenty-five  yard, 
from  which  point  the  play  was  now  to  start  afresh. 

The  excitement  was  something  tremendous,  and  the 
Yale  platoons  were  "  'rah,  'rah,  'rahing,"  under  the 
direction  of  the  men  who  rose  apparently  out  of  the 
ground  at  intervals  to  swing  their  arms  and  urge  on 
the  yelling. 

Merriwell  now  decided  to  buck  the  Indians'  center. 
The  teams  lined  up  for  the  scrimmage,  and  Ready 
snapped  back  the  ball  to  Oliver  Packard,  who  tossed 
it  to  Starbright. 

Starbright  whistled  through  the  Carlisle  line  like  a 
harpoon  and  carried  the  ball  ten  yards,  when  he  was 
held  by  Hudson  and  Rogers,  and  the  ball  was  down. 

Again  there  was  a  line-up  for  a  scrimmage.  This 
time  the  ball  went  to  Ralph  Bingham,  Yale's  big  full- 
back, who  bucked  the  Indian  line  for  nearly  ten  yards 


The  Courage  of  Inza.  293 

more.  It  was  not  easy  work,  for  the  Indians  fought 
this  advance  with  a  strength  that  was  almost  ferocious. 

In  the  next  scrimmage  the  ball  went  again  to  Star- 
bright,  who  broke  through  the  Indian  line  with  an  im- 
pact like  a  ton  of  dynamite,  hurling  the  red  men  right 
and  left.  But  he  was  stopped,  after  he  had  made  eight 
yards,  by  Cloudman,  in  a  clever  tackle,  and  the  ball  was 
again  down. 

Again  the  ball  went  to  Bingham,  who  made  an  ad- 
vance of  five  yards  into  Carlisle  territory  under  the 
protection  of  a  Yale  wedge,  when  he  tried  to  break 
through  and  make  a  run,  but  was  tackled  by  Metoxen, 
and  in  attempting  to  pass  the  ball  to  Hodge  lost  it 
to  the  Indians  on  a  fumble. 

The  work  had  been  fast  and  furious,  and  character- 
ized by  obstinate  fighting  on  the  part  of  Carlisle. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

BATTLING    FOR   THE    BLUE. 

Plunk! 

Hudson  punted  the  pigskin  from  Carlisle's  fifty- 
yard  line.  It  was  caught  by  Starbright  near  Yale's 
fifteen-yard  line. 

Yale  and  Carlisle  came  together  in  a  seemingly  in- 
extricable mix-up,  and  out  of  the  swaying,  struggling 
mass  Starbright  flashed  like  a  meteor. 

A  Yale  roar  rose  to  the  sky. 

The  Carlisle  men  in  the  fray  could  not  get  out  and 
away  from  the  men  of  Yale  in  quick  time,  but  Cloud- 
man  and  Wheelock,  the  Indian  ends,  closed  in  on  Star- 
bright  with  a  rush. 

He  evaded  both  of  these  and  flashed  across  the  grid- 
iron for  a  run  of  fifty-five  yards,  where  he  was  tack- 
led by  Hudson,  the  quarter-back,  who  brought  him  to 
the  ground  with  a  thundering  crash. 

But  all  Yale  was  howling  mad  with  joy  over  the 
giant  freshman's  splendid  run. 

In  the  scrimmage  that  followed,  the  ball  was  given 
to  Bade  Morgan,  on  a  double  pass  from  Merriwell,  and 
Morgan,  dashing  round  the  Indian's  right  end,  carried 
the  ball  in  a  magnificent  run  that  called  forth  howls 
of  applause  from  the  friends  of  Yale  across  Carlisle's 
goal  for  Yale's  second  touch-down. 


Battling  for  the  Blue.  295 

Then  Browning  kicked  the  goal,  and  the  score  be- 
came 12  for  Yale,  with  the  Indians  still  represented 
by  a  humiliating  o. 

Once  more  the  ball  went  to  the  center  of  the  field, 
and  once  more  the  great  kicker,  Pierce,  was  chosen  to 
kick  off  for  the  Indians. 

He  sent  the  pigskin  whirling  to  Yale's  twenty-eight- 
yard  line,  where  Merriwell  caught  it,  and  was  downed 
by  Rogers. 

Merriwell  here  decided  to  change  his  play,  and  he 
bucked  the  Indians'  center.  He  went  resistlessly 
through  the  center  for  a  gain  of  nearly  ten  yards,  with 
the  Yale  enthusiasts  shouting  themselves  hoarse,  and 
the  substitutes  in  a  flutter  of  delight. 

In  the  next  scrimmage  the  ball  went  to  Starbright, 
and  he  also  bucked  the  Indian  center,  finding  a  weak 
spot  in  Archiquette,  the  right  guard.  He  went  through 
Archiquette  for  a  gain  of  ten  yards  more  before  he  was 
pulled  down. 

Then  Merriwell  received  the  ball,  and  bucked  the 
center  again,  with  five  of  the  big  men  in  the  Yale  blue 
thrown  into  their  line — back  formation  before  the  spec- 
tators knew  what  had  happened. 

The  Indian  line  was  torn  to  shreds,  and  Merriwell 
leaped  through  like  a  lion.  But  again  the  Carlisle 
backs  got  in  their  work  and  Merriwell  was  down, 
though  not  until  he  had  made  a  gain  of  nearly  fifteen 
yards. 


296  Battling  for  the  Blue 

Things  were  moving  quickly. 

Another  line-up  for  a  scrimmage,  and  the  ball  went 
again  to  Starbright,  who,  aided  by  the  splendid  offen- 
sive work  of  the  big  Yale  guards,  Browning  and  Beck- 
with,  assisted  as  they  were  by  the  tackles,  bored  an- 
other hole  through  the  Indian  line  for  a  gain  of  still 
another  ten  yards. 

The  Yale  enthusiasts  were  howling  themselves 
hoarse.  This  was  work  worth  seeing — this  splendid 
series  of  rushes  which  steadily  advanced  the  ball  in 
spite  of  the  bulldog  blocking  of  the  Carlisle  men. 

Again  the  ball  went  from  the  quarter-back  to  Star- 
bright.  This  time  Pierce  broke  through  the  Yale  line 
for  a  tackle,  but  was  overthrown.  Redwater  and 
Archiquette  also  went  down,  followed  by  Rogers. 

But  the  Carlisle  ends,  throwing  themselves  on  Star- 
bright,  aided  by  Hudson,  the  captain,  pulled  the  fresh- 
man down,  after  another  advance  of  nearly  fifteen 
yards. 

The  ball  now  went  to  Bingham,  the  big  full-back, 
who,  guarded  by  the  Yale  rushers,  came  in  behind,  as 
if  to  break  through,  but  passed  the  ball  to  Packard, 
who  flew  round  the  Indians'  right  end  and  made  an- 
other handsome  advance  of  ten  yards. 

The  battle  was  now  right  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Carlisle  goal-posts.  A  continuous  roar  was  going  up 
from  the  benches. 

This  time  Merriwell  received  the  ball,  and  boldly 


Battling  for  the  Blue.  297 

bucking  the  Indian  center,  tore  a  hole  through  it,  aided 
by  his  interference,  and  carried  the  pigskin  across  the 
goal-line  for  the  third  touch-down. 

Then  Browning  kicked  goal,  just  before  the  whistle 
blew  and  the  first  half  of  the  game  came  to  an  end. 
Yale  had  made  three  touch-downs  and  three  goals,  and 
the  Indians  nothing,  and  the  score  was  18  to  o. 

While  the  spectators  were  roaring  out  their  delight, 
Merriwell  hurried  to  the  telephone  and  called  up  the 
hospital,  asking  for  the  surgeon  who  had  charge  of 
Inza  Burrage. 

"She  is  much  improved,"  was  the  answer.  "She  has 
insisted  on  having  constant  reports  from  the  field  of 
how  the  game  has  been  progressing,  and  the  work 
of  your  men  has  seemed  to  revive  and  encourage  her." 

Then  Elsie  spoke  to  him. 

"We  have  been  hearing  of  your  splendid  work, 
Frank,"  she  said,  "and  it  has  seemed  to  make  Inza 
strong  again.  The  nurse  was  afraid  the  reports  might 
excite  her  and  make  her  head  worse,  but  the  doctor 
thought  differently,  and  I  have  given  her  the  reports 
myself.  We  knew  you  would  win !" 

"But  the  game  isn't  over,"  he  reminded  her. 

"But  you  will  win  it." 

"Yes,  I  think  so  myself.  We  have  made  a  good 
start,  and  I'm  sure  we  can  hold  down  the  red  men, 
though,  in  some  respects,  they  are  even  stronger  than 
they  have  ever  been  before.  Good-by." 


298  Battling  for  the  Blue. 

Merriwell  left  the  telephone  with  a  light  heart.  The 
fact  that  Inza  was  so  rapidly  improving  and  that  the 
doctor  believed  her  to  be  out  of  danger  was  more  to 
him  than  the  glory  of  successfully  bucking  the  Carlisle 
rush-line  or  making  star  runs  for  touch-downs. 

When  he  again  came  in  touch  with  his  men,  as  they 
stood  about  in  blankets  waiting  for  the  beginning  of 
the  second  half,  he  found  the  members  of  the  flock 
gathered  round  Hodge  and  Browning,  and  all  wildly 
enthusiastic — not  over  the  work  of  any  of  their  own 
number  in  the  first  half  of  the  game,  but  over  the 
splendid  performances  of  Merriwell  and  the  young 
freshman,  Starbright. 

Though  Starbright  had  not  recovered  from  the  ef- 
fects of  the  drug  administered  to  him  and  the  liquor 
he  had  been  induced  to  swallow  while  under  its  influ- 
ence, he  had  made  some  gamy  plays,  bucking  the  line 
with  all  the  fearlessness  of  a  fighting  gladiator. 

There  was  football  stuff  of  the  highest  quality  in 
Dick  Starbright,  and  Merriwell  did  not  hesitate  to  add 
his  word  of  praise  to  what  was  being  said,  nor  did 
he  hesitate  later  to  personally  tell  Starbright  how  much 
he  was  pleased  with  his  splendid  performances. 

From  the  first  half  of  the  game  Merriwell  saw  that 
he  could  score  on  the  Indians  almost  at  will.  He  had 
made  three  touch-downs,  followed  by  goals — the  last 
touch-down  being  gained  by  a  series  of  mass  plays  di- 
rected straight  at  the  Carlisle  rush-line — mass  plays 


Battling  for  the  Blue.  299 

that  were  brilliantly  successful,  and  which  fully  proved 
that  the  pigskin  could  be  carried  across  the  Indian  goal- 
line  every  time  this  sort  of  work  was  attempted. 

But  it  was  hard  and  very  exhausting  work,  and 
there  seemed  to  be  no  real  need  of  it.  Hence,  when  the 
line-up  came  for  the  beginning  of  the  second  half  of 
the  game,  having  substituted  several  men,  Frank  de- 
cided to  make  his  team  play  entirely  on  the  defensive, 
giving  the  Indians  the  ball  as  much  as  possible. 

At  the  opening  of  the  second  half  Bingham  kicked 
off  into  the  Indians'  territory,  and  Cayou  sent  the  ball 
back.  This  was  followed  by  some  livelv  volleying,  in 
which  the  pigskin  flew  to  and  fro  from  the  Yale  ter- 
ritory into  that  of  the  Indian  and  back  again,  and  then 
back. 

Then  Metoxen  got  the  ball  and  tried  to  make  a  run 
by  going  round  Yale's  left  end.  He  was  stopped  by 
Silver,  who  had  been  substituted  as  a  quarter-back  in 
place  of  Packard. 

A  scrimmage  followed  which  took  the  ball  back  to- 
ward the  Indian  goal-line,  and  again  Metoxen  got 
it  and  tried  to  run.  He  was  blocked  by  Merriwell,  the 
ball  flying  from  his  grasp. 

Oscar  Haggard,  playing  tackle  in  Carson's  position, 
fell  on  the  ball.  But  Yale  simply  kicked  the  ball  into 
Carlisle  territory.  It  was  caught  by  Metoxen,  who 
now  made  a  fine  run. 

He  had  already  shown  that  he  was  a  quick  starter, 


300  Battling  for  the  Blue. 

and  now  he  tried  to  go  round  the  left  end,  protected 
by  the  Carlisle  interference.  The  Yale  and  Carlisle 
lines  came  together  in  a  shock,  and  Metoxen,  finding 
a  hole,  dove  through  like  a  weasel,  and,  running  low, 
sprinted  for  a  touch-down. 

Ned  Silver  leaped  at  him  for  a  tackle,  but  went  down 
sprawling;  and  Dick  Starbright,  who  also  tried  to  get 
the  Indian  runner,  found  his  way  blocked  by  inter- 
ferers.  Then  Merriwell  came  across  the  gridiron  in 
mighty  bounds,  while  Bingham,  who  had  struggled  out 
of  the  swaying  mass,  also  shot  in  pursuit. 

But  it  was  Merriwell  who  prevented  the  touch- 
down. His  diagonal  charge  after  and  toward  the  fly- 
ing runner  was  like  that  of  a  race-horse.  Inch  by  inch, 
foot  by  foot,  he  steadily  overhauled  Metoxen,  who  was 
running  as  if  for  dear  life. 

Then  Merriwell's  hands  went  out;  they  caught  Me- 
toxen round  the  hips,  slipped  down  his  legs,  and  the 
runner  went  to  the  ground  like  a  falling  tree. 

Following  this,  Hudson  tried  to  kick  a  goal,  but  Jack 
Ready  broke  through  the  Indian  line  like  a  Western 
cyclone  and  blocked  the  attempt. 

Yale  then  kicked  the  pigskin  back  into  Indian  ter- 
ritory, where  it  was  caught  by  Cayou,  who  now  tried 
for  a  touch-down. 

The  Indian  interference  was  terrific,  and  by  its  help 
Cayou  broke  through,  as  Metoxen  had,  covering  the 


Battling  for  the  Blue.  301 

ground  with  sprawling  figures  clad  in  Yale  blue,  and 
raced  away  for  Yale's  goal-line. 

But  he  found  that  he  had  to  contend  with  Bart 
Hodge,  who  pitched  himself  forward  in  a  crouching 
posture,  and  getting  hold  of  Cayou's  hips  brought  him 
to  the  ground,  with  the  Yale  goal-line  but  fifteen  yards 
away. 

Throughout  the  game  the  Indian  interference  had 
been  almost  ferocious.  Merriwell  now  determined  to 
break  it  up,  and  in  the  playing  that  followed  he  sent  in 
Hodge  and  Dade  Morgan,  the  ends,  for  this  purpose, 
and  they  ripped  the  line  of  interference  wide  open  time 
and  again. 

It  was  remarkable,  for  Hodge  and  Morgan  hated 
each  other  with  the  most  bitter  intensity ;  but  they  were 
playing  for  Yale,  and  Merriwell's  mastery  over  both 
was  for  the  time  complete. 

Frank  now  permitted  the  ball  to  be  kept  for  the  most 
part  in  Yale's  territory.  He  did  not  believe  that  the  , 
Indians  could  score,  unless  it  would  be  by  some  unfore- 
seen good  fortune  on  their  part,  and  he  put  in  play 
every  method  of  Yale  defense,  practising  his  men  on 
the  Indian  eleven,  and  no  longer  trying  to  score,  but 
merely  working  to  keep  the  enemy  from  scoring,  for 
this  was  a  department  of  play  that  Yale  must  learn 
as  well  as  aggressive  work. 

Bingham  did  some  fine  punting  toward  the  close 
of  the  game,  Yale  sending  the  ball  back  whenever  it 


302 


Battling  for  the  Blue. 


came  to  him  and  allowing  the  Indians  to  attempt  to  ad- 
ivance  it. 

Time  after  time  they  made  a  mighty  effort  to  get  the 
ball  across  the  Yale  goal-line,  but  found  this  impos- 
sible, and  when  the  game  ended  the  score  was  still  Yale 
1 8,  Carlisle  o.  The  following  diagram  shows  how  all 
the  plays  in  the  first  half  were  made : 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

MORGAN    AND    STARBRIGHT. 

In  the  dressing-room,  at  the  close  of  the  game,  Did* 
Starbright  came  face  to  face  with  Dade  Morgan. 

Starbright  would  have  been  glad  to  evade  the  meet- 
ing, not  because  he  feared  the  man,  but  because  he  dis- 
liked him  so  intensely  that  he  felt  that  a  meeting  might 
lead  to  trouble.  But  Morgan  came  toward  him,  with 
that  smile  on  his  lips. 

"We  trounced  the  Indians." 

"Yes,"  said  Dick. 

Morgan  was  still  sore  over  the  fact  that  Starbright 
had  knocked  him  out  in  a  fight  some  days  before.  The 
telltale  marks  had  disappeared  from  his  face,  but  the 
memory  of  it  seemed  to  burn  deeper  every  day. 

"There  are  some  men  I'd  rather  trounce  than  the 
Carlisle  Indians,"  Morgan  continued.  "You  said 
something  like  that  to  me  on  the  field,  and  I  presume 
you  meant  it." 

"Yes,  I  meant  it." 

"That  you  would  rather  throw  me  down  than  an 
Indian  runner?" 

"Word  it  that  way,  if  you  want  to  I" 

"Then  you  didn't  say  that?" 

"I  said  that  there  were  men  I  would  rather  come 


304  Morgan  and  Starbright. 

up  against  than  such  a  rusher  as  Redvvater  or  Cloud- 
man." 

"And  you  meant  me?" 

"Have  it  that  way,  if  it  pleases  you.  You  must  par- 
don me,  though,  if  I  say  that  I  was  not  troubling  my 
mind  to  think  of  you  at  all  just  then.  I  referred  to 
football-players. ' ' 

The  smile  on  Morgan's  face  became  more  pro- 
nounced. It  would  have  pleased  some  men,  but  just 
at  that  moment  it  reminded  Dick  of  pictures  he  had 
seen  of  Mephistopheles. 

"You  try  to  evade." 

Dick  turned  squarely  toward  Morgan. 

"See  here,  Morgan,"  he  said,  with  a  sudden  flash 
of  fire,  "if  you  want  to  have  trouble  with  me  you  can 
have  it  at  any  time  and  place." 

"You  think  you  will  find  me  dead  easy?"  sneeringly. 

"I'm  not  troubling  to  think  about  you  at  all.  When 
I  trouble  to  think  of  anybody  I  choose  some  one  of 
more  worth!" 

Morgan's  face  grew  red,  though  he  still  retained  the 
smile. 

"Miss  Thornton,  I  presume?"  he  sweetly  purred. 

"You're  a  contemptible  puppy,  Morgan,  and  I  feel 
that  I  lower  myself  by  paying  any  attention  to  you. 
But  you  must  not  think  that  I'm  afraid  of  you.  If 
you  have  any  grudge  against  me,  meet  me  to-night  and 
we'll  settle  it!" 


Morgan  and  Starbright.  305 

"Where?"  Morgan  panted,  his  face  growing  white 
again. 

"Suit  yourself!" 

"You  won't  meet  me?" 

"You  fool  yourself!" 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  get  a  chance  to  even  that  score. ' 

"If  you  want  to  fight  me,  Dade  Morgan,  meet  me 
somewhere  to-night  where  we  will  not  be  disturbed, 
and  I'll  give'you  the  best  thrashing  you  ever  received." 

Morgan  was  pale  and  shaking,  but  he  kept  the  smile. 

"All  right.  I'll  fight  you  with  fists  to-night,  or  in 
any  old  way.  I  want  a  chance  to  get  at  you,  that's  all." 

"You  can  have  that  chance  to-night,  and  any  night, 
and  as  many  times  as  you  wish.  I  feel  that  I'm  dirty- 
ing my  hands  to  fool  with  you,  but  I'll  meet  you,  just 
the  same." 

Morgan  had  tried  to  conceal  his  anger,  but  it  was 
not  possible,  and  he  now  exploded  in  a  towering  rage, 
and  Dick  had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  from  striking 
him  there. 

As  soon  as  he  had  changed  his  clothing,  Dick  left, 
looking  for  Bart  Hodge,  whom  he  found  talking  to 
Merriwell.  The  crowd  was  streaming  back  to  the  city, 
pleased  with  the  game  that  had  been  played,  and  wildly 
excited  over  the  mysterious  aerial  flight  which  had  pre- 
ceded it. 

"I'm  going  straight  to  the  hospital,"  Dick  heard 


306  Morgan  and  Starbright. 

Merriwell  say,  and  heard  Hodge  declare  his  intention 
of  accompanying  him. 

Dick  understood  the  meaning,  for  he  knew  of  the 
'dark-haired  girl  on  the  cot,  who,  with  the  light-haired 
girl  at  her  side,  had  been  regarded  as  the  mascots  of 
the  team  that  afternoon. 

"I'd  like  a  few  words  with  you  before  you  leave," 
he  said,  speaking  to  Hodge,  and  feeling  almost  guilty 
because  he  wanted  to  keep  the  matter  that  was  in  his 
mind  from  Frank's  knowledge. 

"Me?"  said  Hodge. 

Then  he  left  Frank's  side,  and  followed  Starbright, 
•who  led  him  beyond  sight  and  ear-shot  of  the  Yale 
captain. 

"I'm  going  to  fight  Dade  Morgan  to-night." 

"What's  that?" 

"Just  what  I  said.  I'm  going  to  fight  Dade  Morgan 
to-night." 

Bart  impulsively  grabbed  him  by  the  hand. 

'Oh,  I  want  you  to  just  knock  the  tar  out  of  that  fel- 
low, when  you  go  up  against  him !  You  can  do  it !" 

"And  I've  come  to  ask  you  to  be  my  second." 

Hodge's  face  burned  with  hot  delight. 

''Starbright,"  and  the  hand  pressure  grew  still 
firmer,  "I'll  be  glad  of  the  chance!" 

"But  we  mustn't  say  anything  to  Merriwell  about 
it!" 

"Think  not?     Oh,  say!     I  can't  hold  that  in!     I'll 


Morgan  and  Starbright  307 

have  to  tell  Merry !  He  doesn't  like  Bade  Morgan  any 
better  than  we  do." 

"But  he  will  veto  it,  just  the  same,  and  take  some 
means  to  prevent  the  fight.  You  won't  say  a  word 
to  him  about  it?"  x 

"Oh,  I'll  promise!  I  want  that  fight  to  come  off. 
And,  say,  Starbright,  if  you  should — mind,  I  don't 
think  you  will!  but  if  you  should  find  the  scoundrel 
too  much  for  you,  I'd  like  to  go  up  against  him  when 
you're  through  with  him,  or  when  he's  through  with 
you.  Oh,  I'd  like  to  hammer  that  scamp's  face  off!" 

After  a  few  further  words,  Bart  hastened  to  rejoin 
Merriwell,  regarding  this  as  a  secret  he  must  keep, 
yet  feeling  that  he  would  give  a  handsome  sum  to  be 
able  to  tell  Merriwell  and  have  him  go  along  to  see  the 
fight. 

Frank  noticed  that  Bart  was  distressed  and  given  to 
strange  forget  fulnesses  as  they  journeyed  back  to  the 
city,  but  the  dark-faced  youth  contrived  to  conceal 
from  his  friend  the  real  cause  of  this. 

Inza  was  found  to  be  so  much  improved  that  the 
doctor  thought  she  would  be  able  to  leave  the  hospital 
the  next  day.  She  was  triumphantly  jubilant,  also, 
over  Yale's  victory. 

"You  don't  know  who  cut  that  rope?"  she  ques- 
tioned. 

"Not  likely  to  learn,  I'm  afraid,"  Frank  answered. 
"The  fellow  who  went  after  the  balloon  hasn't  re- 


308  Morgan  and  Starbright. 

turned,  I  believe,  and,  at  any  rate,  there  will  be  no 
chance  of  fastening  it  upon  him.  I  really  think  that 
some  one  in  the  crowd  stuck  that  knife  into  the  cable. 
Perhaps  we  shall  never  know,  but  I  shall  do  what  I 
can  to  find  out  and  give  the  villain  the  punishment  he 
deserves." 

Nor  did  Merriwell  find  out,  though  he  applied  him- 
self for  some  time  to  this  task,  and  called  into  the 
work  Selton  Dirk,  who  was  considered  one  of  the  finest 
detectives  in  the  little  college  city. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

SETTLING    OLD    SCORES. 

That  night  Bart  Hodge  came  early  to  Dick  Star- 
bright's  rooms,  and  they  set  out  for  the  appointed  ren- 
dezvous. Dick  had  not  told  his  roommate,  Bert  Dash- 
leigh.  In  fact,  he  had  communicated  the  information 
to  no  one  but  Hodge. 

On  reaching  the  place  appointed  for  the  fight  they 
found  no  one  there. 

"This  looks  as  if  the  scoundrel  is  afraid  to  meet 
you!"  Hodge  growled.  "That  fellow  is  a  coward, 
Starbright !" 

"I  think  he  will  come.     He  seemed  anxious." 

"You  can't  trust  him.  It  grinds  me  to  have  Merry 
keep  him  on  the  football-team.  I've  told  Merry  a 
hundred  times  that  one  of  these  days  Dade  Morgan 
will  find  an  opportunity  to  do  him  up  on  the  football- 
field.  It  will  come  by  and  by.  It  injures  my  playing 
to  have  him  there,  for  I  have  to  watch  the  scamp  all 
the  time,  instead  of  watching  the  ball." 

"I  haven't  observed  that  it  has  hurt  your  playing!" 

Hodge  smiled  in  his  grim  way. 

"We  did  do  those  fellows  handsomely  this  after- 
noon! Of  course,  they're  not  the  greatest  ball-team 
in  the  country,  but  they're  awful  fighters  in  their  way." 

"And  you  and  Dade  Morgan  smashed  through  their 


3io  Settling  Old  Scores. 

famous  interference  in  great  style.  It  was  like  a 
Catling  gun  mowing  down  the  foe.  They  went  down 
before  you  in  as  pretty  style  as  I  ever  saw!" 

"If  it  hadn't  been  Morgan  helping  me,  I  could  get 
some  satisfaction  out  of  that,  but  it  makes  me  hotter 
than  a  cake  of  ice  to  have  my  name  linked  with  Mor- 
gan's. A  dozen  fellows  or  more  have  come  to  me 
since  the  game  and  complimented  me  on  that  work, 
always  mentioning  Morgan.  Confound  Morgan!" 

"But  you  must  admit  that  he  can  play  football !" 

"See  here !  Are  you  going  to  praise  that  fellow  ?  If 
you  go  at  that,  I  don't  want  to  be  your  second  in  this 
affair.  Of  course  he  can  play.  A  man  don't  need  to 
have  principle  and  honor,  or  any  of  those  things,  to 
be  a  football-player,  does  he?  If  he  did,  Morgan 
wouldn't  be  in  it !" 

He  looked  at  his  watch  impatiently. 

"I  tell  you  the  villain  isn't  coming!  He  thinks  to 
sell  you  out  by  having  you  come  away  out  here  to 
fight  him.  He'll  keep  you  waiting  out  here  for  hours. 
But  if  he  does!" 

"What?" 

"I'll  make  him  fight  me  as  soon  as  we  get  back  to 
the  college." 

But  Hodge's  impatient  complaints  were  not  justi- 
fied. 

Dade  Morgan  was  late,  but  he  had  no  intention  of 


Settling  Old  Scores.  311 

refusing  to  meet  Starbright.  He  was  eager  to  fight 
the  big  freshman,  for  he  was  smarting  under  the  mem- 
ory of  the  drubbing  received  from  him  and  could  not 
rest  until  he  had  made  an  effort  to  settle  the  score. 
He  had  been  taking  pugilistic  lessons  of  the  well-known 
ex-pugilist,  Buster  Kelley,  who  delighted  to  teach  the 
Yale  freshman  the  manly  art  of  knocking  out  another 
college  man,  provided  the  said  freshman  had  a  good 
long  purse  with  which  to  fee  him  for  this  service. 

Morgan  had  been  assiduously  studying  to  improve 
himself  under  Buster  Kelley 's  instruction,  and  he  be- 
lieved that  he  was  more  than  a  match  for  Dick  Star- 
bright,  and  that  the  heavy  score  he  had  laid  up  was 
now  about  to  be  squared. 

On  the  other  hand,  Dick  Starbright  was  not  averse 
to  meeting  Morgan,  though  the  thought  of  going  de- 
liberately into  a  fight  made  him  feel  unpleasantly  small. 
He  believed  that  Morgan  had  backed  the  scheme  by 
which  he  was  drugged  at  the  New  Haven  House  and 
led  into  that  disgraceful  orgie  of  intoxication. 

He  grew  unpleasantly  warm  and  perspiring  when- 
ever he  thought  of  that.  He  felt  sure  that  the  story 
of  his  intoxication  was  what  had  led  Rosalind  Thorn- 
ton to  give  him  the  snub  she  did  by  going  to  the  ball- 
ground  with  Morgan. 

"But  that's  all  right!"  he  always  reflected,  when  his 
thoughts  turned  to  Rosalind,  as  they  did  very  fre- 
quently. "If  Morgan  is  her  style,  and  he  seems  to. 


312  Settling  Old  Scores. 

be,  let  her  go  with  Morgan;  but  she  can't  go  with  me 
at  the  same  time." 

Morgan  hurried  onto  the  field,  and  with  him  were 
Donald  Pike,  Bertrand  Defarge,  and  Roland  Packard. 
Roland  was  Morgan's  second,  and  Morgan  had  asked 
the  others  to  come  out  and  see  him  thrash  the  upstart 
freshman,  who  had  been  taken  under  the  protecting 
wing  of  the  mighty  Frank  Merriwell. 

Bart's  face  grew  black  again  when  he  saw  who  was 
with  Morgan. 

"I  thought  there  was  to  be  only  one  second  for 
each!"  he  growled. 

"A  fight  of  this  kind  is  quick  work,"  smiled  Roland 
Packard,  in  his  disagreeable  way,  "it  only  takes  two 
seconds  to  do  it." 

"We're  not  out  here  to  joke !"  Bart  snarled,  with  an 
almost  irresistible  impulse  to  fly  at  the  joker's  throat. 

"It  will  be  no  joke  by  the  time  our  man  gets  through 
with  you!" 

"Who  is  Morgan's  second  ?" 

"Right  here,"  said  Roland,  thumping  his  broad 
chest. 

"The  rest  of  us  just  came  out  here  to  see  the  fun/* 
said  Defarge,  with  an  unpleasant  laugh. 

"I  wasn't  speaking  to  you,"  Bart  snapped.  Then  he 
walked  aside  with  Roland. 

The  preliminaries  were  easily  settled.  The  battle 
was  to  be  a  go-as-you-please  one,  with  no  limit  until 


Settling  Old  Scores.  313 

one  or  the  other  of  the  combatants  was  ready  to  cry 
enough. 

Nothing  could  have  pleased  Hodge  better.  When  he 
returned  with  Packard,  he  found  Starbright  prepar- 
ing for  the  fight.  He  took  off  his  coat  with  great 
deliberation,  and  then  stripped  to  the  waist.  The 
moonlight,  sifting  down  through  the  tree  tops,  showed 
his  magnificent  muscle,  and  Roland  Packard,  looking 
at  him,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Dade  Morgan 
would  not  have  so  easy  a  job  as  he  had  boasted. 

When  Morgan  stripped  it  was  seen  that  he  was  also 
a  mass  of  supple  muscle,  with  the  litheness  and  quick- 
ness of  a  panther. 

"Too  bad  for  you  to  hammer  up  and  bruise  such  a 
beauty,"  Defarge  sneered  to  Morgan  under  his  breath. 
"But  remember  what  I  told  you.  The  fellow  is  as 
strong  as  an  ox.  So  don't  let  him  get  hold  of  you. 
Dance  out  of  his  way  and  wear  him  out,  and  then  go 
in  and  knock  him  to  pieces." 

This  was  also  the  advice  given  by  Buster  Kelley, 
and  it  seemed  good. 

Dick  Starbright  stretched  out  his  hand  to  take  that 
of  his  opponent,  though  the  motion  made  Bart  growl, 
and  grate  his  teeth. 

"I  didn't  come  out  here  to  shake  hands,  but  to 
fight !"  said  Morgan,  refusing  to  accept  the  proffered 
hand. 


314  Settling  Old  Scores. 

"Go !"  said  Pike,  who  had  been  accepted  as  a  sort  of 
referee. 

And  the  fight  began. 

Morgan  danced  up  to  Starbright  in  a  tantalizing 
way,  expecting  that  Dick  would  try  to  get  hold  of  him. 
But  Starbright  merely  put  up  his  arms  and  stood  on 
the  defensive. 

"He's  afraid  of  you!"  said  Defarge. 

"If  you  don't  cork  up  your  mouth  there  will  be  two 
fights  going  on  here  at  the  same  time!"  declared 
Hodge.  "You  have  no  business  here,  and  you'll  be- 
have, or  I'll  try  you  a  round  or  so." 

Hodge  was  known  to  be  as  quick-tempered  as  dyna- 
mite, and  a  fighter  of  such  skill  and  courage  that  De- 
farge wisely  concluded  to  hold  his  peace,  though  he 
looked  at  the  hot-blooded  fellow  as  if  he  wished  he 
could  run  him  through  with  a  rapier. 

Again  Morgan  came  at  Dick,  dancing  up  as  if  to 
draw  a  blow.  But  Starbright  merely  stood  on  the  de- 
fensive. 

Then  like  a  flash  Morgan  planted  the  first  blow,  get- 
ting past  Dick's  guard  and  landing  on  his  shoulder. 
It  was  a  heavy  blow,  but  it  did  not  even  stagger  the 
big  fellow. 

Morgan's  confidence  in  his  ability  to  whip  Dick 
Starbright  increased,  though  he  was  disappointed  by 
his  inabilitv  to  make  Dick  chase  after  him  and  wear 


Settling  Old  Scores.  315 

himself  out.  Looking  for  another  opening,  he  again 
sought  to  land,  reaching  this  time  for  Dick's  face. 

Crack ! 

A  blow  landed,  but  it  was  not  Morgan's.  Star- 
bright's  hard  fist  had  shot  out  with  lightning  swiftness, 
catching  Morgan  on  the  cheek. 

The  blow  seemed  to  lift  him  into  the  air,  and  he  fell 
backward,  striking  the  ground  heavily.  He  lay  half- 
stunned  for  a  moment,  while  Packard  ran  toward  him. 
Then  he  leaped  up,  snarling. 

The  smile  had  gone  from  his  face.  In  its  place  was 
black,  fierce  anger,  w^ich  he  did  not  try  to  conceal. 

"Your  man  is  doing  up  Starbright  in  double-quick 
style!"  Hodge  sneered. 

Morgan  was  about  to  make  another  rush,  forgetting 
the  injunctions  of  Defarge  and  Kelley,  but  he  recol- 
lected in  time,  and  began  to  try  to  draw  Dick  after  him. 

But  Starbright  remained  as  immovable  as  a  post, 
merely  turning  to  meet  any  advance  that  Morgan  might 
make.  His  face  was  imperturbable.  No  one  could 
tell  what  thoughts  were  passing  in  his  mind.  But  he 
was  firmly  resolved  to  teach  Morgan  the  lesson  that 
the  latter  seemed  so  much  to  need. 

"You're  a  coward !"  Morgan  hotly  declared.  "Why 
don't  you  fight?" 

Again  a  blow  landed,  though  this  time  it  fell  low 
and  merely  bruised  Morgan's  shoulder. 

"There's  your  answer!"  grunted  Hodge,  in  deep  sat- 


316  Settling  Old  Scores. 

isfaction.  "It  occurs  to  a  man  up  a  tree  that  my  friend 
Starbright  is  doing  some  fighting." 

Morgan  gave  him  a  look  of  hate. 

"And  if  he  can't  give  you  enough  to  satisfy  you,  I 
shall  be  glad  to  try  my  hand  when  he's  through.  Or 
on  any  of  your  friends  that  you  may  want  to  nomi- 
nate!" 

Morgan  tried  to  remain  cool;  but  Starbright's  im- 
perturbability stung  him  so  that  he  found  it  impossible. 
Finding  that  he  would  succeed  only  in  tiring  himself 
out,  he  now  made  a  sinuous  lunge,  and  once  more 
passed  Starbright's  guard,  the  blow  striking  Dick  in  the 
region  of  the  heart. 

The  giant  staggered  backward  seemingly  weakened. 
Morgan  fancied  he  saw  his  advantage  and  rushed  in, 
striking  right  and  left. 

But  if  he  thought  that  Dick  would  now  be  an  easy 
victim,  he  was  doomed  to  a  bitter  disappointment,  for 
Starbright  roused  himself,  and  his  fists  played  a  tattoo 
on  the  face  and  body  of  Morgan.  This  was  the  sort  of 
fighting  Hodge  liked  to  see,  and  he  could  hardly  re- 
strain a  yell  of  delight. 

At  the  last  blow  Morgan  staggered  into  the  arms  of 
Roland  Packard,  who  rushed  forward  to  keep  him 
from  falling. 

For  a  moment  Morgan  lay  in  his  second's  arms, 
panting  and  gasping.  Those  last  blows  had  come  with 
the  swiftness  of  lightning,  and  they  had  simply 


Settling  Old  Scores.  317 

knocked  the  breath  out  of  him.  One  eye  was  closing 
and  there  was  a  red  lump  gathering  on  the  side  of  his 
head  below  the  hair-line. 

But  Morgan  was  plucky.  He  felt  that  he  could  not 
endure  the  disgrace  of  being  knocked  out.  by  Star- 
bright,  after  all  the  coaching  and  training  given  him 
by  Kelley.  He  resolved  that  he  would  not  be  knocked 
out,  and,  gathering  himself  together  with  fierce  deter- 
mination, he  again  came  at  Dick,  forcing  the  fighting. 

Starbright  stood  as  before,  immovable  as  a  stone 
wall. 

"Oh,  he  hasn't  had  enough  of  it !"  Hodge  called  out* 
"Just  touch  him  up  with  a  few  more." 

"You're  not  one  of  the  fighters!"  snapped  Packard, 
who  was  enraged  at  the  turn  of  events  and  by  his  fear 
that  his  principal  was  going  to  be  beaten. 

"I'm  ready  to  be!  Don't  fancy  for  a  minute  that 
I'm  not!  I'm  ready  to  be,  and  when  Starbright  is 
through  with  Morgan  I'll  be  glad  to  teach  you  a  few. 
things  you  don't  know." 

Then  he  turned  to  Starbright,  who  was  still  acting 
on  the  defensive,  while  Morgan  circled  round  and 
round  with  savage  dashes  like  a  Bedouin  horseman  try- 
ing to  strike  with  a  spear. 

"Hammer  him!"  cried  Bart. 

Starbright  seemed  to  feel  that  the  time  had  come 
for  this. 

Again  his  fist  reached  Morgan's  face.     Once  more 


3i8  Settling  Old  Scores. 

He  was  playing  a  tattoo  on  the  body  and  face  of  his  ad- 
yersary. 

Then  with  an  impact  that  sounded  like  the  report  of 
a  pistol,  Dick's  fist  caught  Morgan  under  the  ear,  and, 
lifting  him  clear  of  the  ground,  hurled  him  down  in 
a  senseless  heap. 

Roland  Packard  rushed  to  his  unconscious  principal. 

"You've  killed  him!"  he  gasped. 

"Merely  thumped  some  sense  into  his  head!'* 
growled  Bart. 

Now  that  it  was  over,  the  big  freshman,  who  had 
been  so  ironlike  through  the  fight,  trembled  in  every 
limb.  He  found,  too,  that  he  was  wet  with  perspira- 
tion. And  he  felt  meanly  criminal.  He  wanted  to  get 
away  from  the  place — wanted  to  go  off  somewhere  and 
hide  himself.  He  even  told  himself  that  he  had  been 
a  weakling  and  a  fool  for  meeting  Morgan  there  in  that 
way. 

Then  he  began  to  fear  that  he  had  hit  harder  than 
he  intended,  and  that  Morgan  might  have  received 
serious  injury,  for  Morgan  seemed  to  lie  unconscious 
a  long  time. 

But  his  feelings  on  this  point  were  relieved  by  see- 
ing Morgan  move.  The  blow  had  been  a  hard  one,  for 
in  those  last  seconds  Dick  had  not  stopped  to  measure 
his  strength. 

Morgan  staggered  up,  supported  by  Packard.  His 
dazed  brain  began  to  clear,  and  then  came  the  thought 


Settling  Old  Scores.  319 

that  he  had  been  knocked  out.  It  hurt  him  terribly. 
He  had  not  believed  the  thing  possible.  Had  not  Bus- 
ter Kelley  assured  him  that  he  was  a  match  now  for 
two  such  men  as  Dick  Starbright — Starbright,  who 
looked  to  be  too  big  and  slow  for  quick  work,  and 
whom  he  believed  to  be  something  of  a  coward  at 
heart,  in  spite  of  the  many  evidences  he  had  received 
to  the  contrary. 

Then  a  great  rage  overwhelmed  him. 

"This  is  not  the  last !"  he  snarled. 

"You  can  have  more  now,  if  you  want  it!"  Dick 
declared,  again  firing  up.  "It's  best  to  settle  this  thing 
now  and  have  it  done." 

"Oh,  he's  no  hog,"  sneered  Hodge. 

Starbright  walked  away  and  began  to  put  on  his 
clothing. 

He  had  received  scarcely  a  severe  bruise — nothing 
that  would  be  called  serious,  though  the  skin  was  off 
his  cheek  in  one  place,  and  there  was  a  growing  knot 
near  the  left  end  of  his  collar-bone. 

But  Morgan  had  been  given  enough.  He  had  hardly 
sufficient  strength  left  to  get  into  his  clothing,  and  had 
to  be  supported  as  he  turned  away  from  the  field. 

The  next  day,  however,  after  skilful  treatment  at 
the  hands  of  a  surgeon  who  knew  how  to  handle  such 
cases,  Morgan  was  able  to  appear  on  the  campus,  look- 
ing very  little  the  worse  for  the  drubbing  he  had  re- 
ceived. 


320  Settling  Old  Scores. 

But  he  had  learned  to  respect  the  prowess  and  the 
strength  of  Dick  Starbright. 


A  day  or  two  later  Starbright  received  a  dainty  note 
from  Rosalind  Thornton.  Once  more  she  wanted  him 
to  come  up  to  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Virgil  Throck- 
morton,  that  the  breach  between  them,  of  her  own  crea- 
tion, might  be  again  healed. 

Dick  did  not  reply  to  that  note,  nor  did  he  go  near 
Mrs.  Throckmorton's. 

"That  affair  has  come  to  an  end!"  he  grimly  de- 
clared to  himself.  "She  has  chosen  Dade  Morgan,  and 
she  may  keep  him," 

THE   END. 


BEST  OF  ALL  BOYS'  BOOKS 


THE  FAMOUS 

Frank  Merriwell  Stories 

By  BURT  L.  STANDISH 

No  modern  series  of  tales  for  boys  and  youths  has 
met  with  anything  like  the  cordial  reception  and  popu- 
larity accorded  to  the  Frank  Merriwell  Stories. 

There  must  be  a  reason  for  this  and  there  is.  Frank 
Merriwell,  as  portrayed  by  the  author,  is  a  jolly,  whole- 
souled,  honest,  courageous  American  lad,  who  appeals 
to  the  hearts  of  the  boys.  He  has  no  bad  habits,  and 
his  manliness  inculcates  the  idea  that  it  is  not  necessary 
for  a  boy  to  indulge  in  petty  vices  to  be  a  hero.  Frank 
Merriwell's  example  is  a  shining  light  for  every  ambitious 
lad  to  follow. 

Twenty-four  volumes  ready 

Frank  Merriwell's  School  Days  Frank  Merriwell's  Skill 

Frank  Merriwell's  Chums  Frank  Merriwell's  Champions 

Frank  Merriwell's  Foes  Frank  Merriwell's  Return  to  Yale 

Frank  Merriwell's  Trip  West  Frank  Merriwell's  Secret 

Frank  Merriwell  Down  South  Frank  Merriwell's  Loyalty 

Frank  Merriwell's  Bravery  Frank  Merriwell's  Reward 

Frank  Merriwell's  Races  Frank  Merriwell's  Faith 
Frank  Merriwell's  Hunting  Tour  Frank  Merriwell's  Victories 

Frank  Merriwell's  Sports  Afield  Frank  Merriwell's  Power 

Frank  Merriwell  at  Yale  Frank  Merriwell's  Set-Back 

Frank  Merriwell's  Courage  Frank  Merriwell's  False  Friend 

Frank  Merriwell's  Daring  Frank  Merriwell's  Brother 

Illustrated,  cloth  binding,  5O  cents  per  volume 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 
by  the  publisher 

DAVID  McKAY,  Philadelphia 

(i) 


THE  MOTOR  POWER  SERIES 

Donald  Grayson's  Famous 
Motor  Stories  for  Boys  v* 

Mr.  Grayson  is  an  accomplished  writer  of  up-to-the- 
minute  juvenile  stories  which  are  eagerly  read  by 
modern  American  lads. 

In  his  new  series,  his  characters  have  exciting  adven- 
tures with  every  kind  of  motor-driven  machines — motor 
cycles,  automobiles,  aeroplanes  and  submarines. 

You  may  readily  see  what  a  vast  field  for  adventures 
Mr.  Grayson  has  chosen. 

Now  Ready 

BOB  STEELE'S  MOTOR  CYCLE 

BOB  STEELE  ON  HIGH  GEAR 

BOB  STEELE  FROM  AUTO  TO  AIRSHIP 

BOB  STEELE  AFLOAT  IN  THE  CLOUDS 

BOB  STEELE'S  SUBMARINE  CRUISE 

BOB  STEELE  IN  STRANGE  WATERS 

BOB  STEELE'S  MOTOR  BOAT 

BOB  STEELE'S  WINNING  RACE 

BOB  STEELE'S  NEW  AEROPLANE 

BOB  STEELE'S  LAST  FLIGHT 

Illustrated,  cloth  binding,  5O  cents  per  volume 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 
by  the  publisher 

DAVID  McKAY,  PhUadelphia 

(2) 


(1C  SOUTHERN  REGION^ 


«ll  Mill  Hill  III 

A     000  034  439    0 


